Lund, St John the Evangelist

It could be argued that the church of St John the Evangelist, Lund, is one of the best kept secrets of the Fylde. Situated off the road between Clifton and Salwick, this attractive, simple small church can easily be missed by the passer-by. 'Lund' derives from the Old Norse lundr and Old Swedish lunder, both of which mean a grove or copse; but Lund doesn't exist as a place in Lancashire.

The church, in the heart of a rural parish, dates from 1824, when the nave was built. It was later extended in 1852 with the addition of a sanctuary, and again in 1873 when the 60 foot high tower was added as a memorial to the first vicar, Revd Richard Moore.

Inside the church there are beautiful stained glass windows, most of which were put in at the same time. The windows depict female saints and female characters from the Old Testament on the north side of the nave, and male saints on the south side. Above the doorway is the Royal Coat of Arms. Orders were given to place these in every church at the Restoration of the Stuart Monarchy in 1662. Whilst many churches have removed theirs, Lund's still survives.

The church has its unanswered questions. In the tower there is a single bell with the date 1864. It may have come from a previous church on the site. There is also the font, reputed to be a Roman altar. This is referred to in 1701 in records of the Parish Vestry: "Matt Hall, Churchwarden of Kirkham in 1688 set up a scandalous trough for a font in Lund Chapel".

People who may live only 10 miles away frequently comment on how beautiful and peaceful the church is, adding that they never knew it existed!

The church is well sign-posted from the A583 and situated half a mile north of Clifton.

Postcode: PR4 0ZE

Telephone: 01772 683 617
Email: giles.lund@tiscali.co.uk

Website: www.geocities.com/lundparishchurch/page.html

Opening Times
Daily, 9am - 5pm (later in the summer)

Service Times

Sunday	8am	Eucharist
	10.30am	Eucharist
Tuesday	7.30pm	Eucharist
Wednesday	9.30am	Eucharist
Saturday	9am	Eucharist