A Bit Of History

St John’s was one of several churches established in Poole in the 19th century, as the area of Upper Parkstone developed. The original church building was opened in 1881, and is now the church’s front hall (with lighter-coloured bricks). The current church building was constructed in 1902.

From the outset, the parish has been evangelical. The patronage is one of about 700 across the country held by the Church Pastoral Aid Society, an Anglican mission society founded by Lord Shaftesbury and others in 1836. CPAS has four aspirations:

• Every church a pathway to faith

• Every leader a catalyst for evangelism

• Every child the chance to explore Jesus

• Every Christian a courageous witness

In accordance with our evangelical heritage, the parish planted the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rossmore in 1931, just before the development of housing in the area around what became Herbert Avenue.