Anglican Church

Welcome to the church of St John the Baptist

We are part of a group of 3 churches in the Hope Valley, being linked with Grindleford and Hathersage. Currently we are 'in vacancy' i.e. without a Rector and services are conducted  by Revd Graham Pigott (retired vicar) and Readers Tony Hill and Bernard Madden with invited guests from time to time

We have close links with the Methodist Church and have combined worship with them, so that our normal pattern is 1st and 3rd Sundays in our Church; 2nd and 4th Sundays in the Methodist Church. We call ourselves 'Village Church'

On the 5th  Sunday of each month we have a united service with our other 2 Anglican churches which rotates around the 3

For the other Sundays we have a mixture of Holy Communion and Morning Worship with the Third Sunday Service being more informal.

Normal service time is 11 am and we usually have tea/coffee/biscuits/cake

'What's On' is posted on the village noticeboards and in the Church porch and we try to keep our 'A Church Near You' page current as well. https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/13168/

We have a fine set of 6 bells, cast and installed in 2000, replacing the original steel bells (which soon rusted and went out of tune).  Bell ringing is becoming very popular with regular peels being rung, as well as ringing for Sunday services and special events.

A bit of history

Our Church is the only church in Derbyshire designed by the famous gothic architect, William Butterfield, who designed many churches and chapels, notably St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne Australia, Keble College Oxford and Rugby School.

The Church is delicate and slender. The spire reaches high into the sky and inside there is a feeling of great space and airiness; the long chancel is slightly non-rectangular which increases the impression of length. The whole interior was designed by Butterfield giving a harmonious feeling to the building. Built in 1860 by the Moore family, who owned Bamford Mill, the church still has a direct descendant of the Moore’s as its patron. Originally the Parish Church of the village, it became St John the Baptist, Bamford and Derwent when the Derwent dams were built and Derwent and Ashopton villages submerged in the 1940s; then in 1999 Bamford became part of a joint benefice with Hathersage; in 2007 the benefice was further expanded to include Grindleford.

Safeguarding

Protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of us all, whether they are in the communities in which we live or part of our Christian family. To report a safeguarding concern, please contact Derby Diocese or our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Helen Jackson (details below).

   Contacts

Rector: Vacant

Warden: Ginny Priestley 01433 650031

Safeguarding: Helen Jackson  07495 066218