The impressive church launched its celebrations in September -– 100 years since the church was consecrated but this weekend – January 25-27 – the programme continues with an art and history exhibition.

Local artists and schoolchildren will show their artistic skills alongside many local historical artefacts from 10am-4pm today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Among the displays will be the centenary banner specially created by the Mothers' Union over six months.

The celebrations continue on February 27 with an exhibition of local produce at Ellel St John's School and they conclude at Easter when the Bishop of Lancaster will plant a tree at the church.

Although a chapel existed in Ellel before 1156, the present church didn't open its doors until September 25, 1907.

It came about because parishioners some years before felt a need for a new place of worship, envisaging a building more beautiful than their plain little church.

Rev Frank Coleman was appointed in 1901 to help them realise their ambition and under his leadership a committee was formed with £50 in the bank.

Four sites were offered as suitable: one by Sir Lancelot Sanderson of Ward House; two by Mrs Preston of Ellel Grange; and one by Mr G Maxted of Windermere who owned land in Ellel.

The chosen site was the one in close proximity to Galgate village.

Following a great fundraising effort including a four-day bazaar in Lancaster in 1904, £3,900 of the target £6,000 had been reached by 1906 when the foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Manchester as Ellel was in the Manchester Diocese at that time. Before the stone was laid, the vicar's young son placed a bottle containing church literature, coins and local newspapers in a cavity under the stone.

The church was designed by the prestigious firm of architects, Austin and Paley of Lancaster and structural work was carried out by A O Thomas of Lancaster using stone from Ellel Quarry.

The original design showed the church with an 80ft spire and another aisle on the south side but the coming of World War One and its aftermath prevented any further building work.

Another Lancaster firm, J. Hatch & Son, were responsible for the carving of the choir stalls and most of the fine stained glass windows are by Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster.

The church was lit by gas purchased from Galgate Silk Mill Company.
The wall lights and chandeliers were much more ornamental than the austere electric ones which were installed when electricity came to the village during the 1930s.

Parishioners worked hard to ensure the opening of their new church was a success.
According to the parish magazine of 1907: "A splendid spirit of enthusiasm prevailed and there was no lack of willing workers. The members of the various committees attended carefully to all details day-by-day and the almost perfect order on the opening day was a proof of their zeal. The men and big lads worked most zealously at the roads and the grounds surrounding the building and by their labour must have saved a considerable sum of money.

"The mothers, not to be outdone, asked to be allowed to thoroughly scrub the church and difficult though this task was, they rejoiced in it."

Three social events were held to celebrate the opening of the church and more than 400 people attended – far more than anticipated.

Once the church opened, parishioners continued to work hard to make it a success under the inspiring leadership of their vicar. Among them were local farmers who brought their horses and carts to carry gravel for the paths.

Two years after the church was built, a final appeal was made to clear off the debt and within three years, the Rev Coleman was presented with a cheque and tea service 'for his excellent leadership and freeing from debt the beautiful new church of St John's, Ellel'. The church has continued to be endowed with gifts during the past century. When it was built, Mr G W Welch of Hampson gave the chancel including the fine east window in memory of his wife.

Another example of a donation is the oak-carved pulpit given by Mrs Bateson and the Misses Johnson in memory of the Johnson family of Hampson, two of whom were drowned in a shipwreck in the Mersey in 1909.

Many of the gentry from the Ellel area have graves in the churchyard. They include the Fords, Stokes and Lanes who lived in turn at Ellel Hall; the Cooper-Turners of Hay Carr; the Sandersons of Ward House; the Travis-Cleggs of Bailrigg and members of the Johnson and Welch families of Hampson.

Galgate's village school – named after Ellel St John's – has always had links with the church which continue to this day and help to ensure the survival of the church which merged with St James's at Shireshead in 1998.