The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Buxton has served the town for 200 years now. The simple Regency architecture outside gives little hint of the glories that await those who come inside. With its awe-inspiring space and wonderful decoration, including some glorious stained glass windows, it is more like a small cathedral than a local church. The style of worship at St John's is more reminiscent of a cathedral as well, as our exceptionally gifted choir and organists lead with some of the best musical settings ever composed for the mass. Dedicated to preserving the best of the traditions of the Church of England's history in a 21st century way, St John's is the most Anglo-Catholic of our churches.
The congregation of St John's is surprisingly varied, from age 8 to 80, with a growing number of teenagers and young adults.  From homeless people to some of the country's top professionals, many people feel at home here, coming to worship God in all that is best  in the formal  Anglican style.  With its spacious and open interior, and its 4-manual William Hill organ, St John's is a sought-after venue for special services, recitals and concerts,  playing host to a number of top performers who give concerts here. During the Buxton Festival, it is particularly busy as a venue for the Arts. The church stands on the A53 St John's Road, at the junction with the A5005 Manchester Road, near Buxton's famous Opera House.  There is some limited parking in the church grounds accessed from Manchester Road, but much more pay-and -display parking can be found in the surrounding streets.   You can find the location of St John's on a map here. The main Sunday service is a Sung Choral Eucharist at 11.00am, which lasts about 70 minutes. During the Buxton Festival, service times may vary slightly, and on the three Sundays of the Festival, St. John’s hosts the Festival Masses, one of which is usually broadcast on BBC Radio 4.  A quiet service of Evening Prayer takes place regularly at 5.45 pm on Mondays. A fuller description of the building and it's history, can be found here.