This small red bricked church was built to serve the newly created parish of Dunton Green, located just north of the Riverhead area of Sevenoaks. It was designed by local architect M.T. Potter and built between 1889-90. The total cost of the construction was £1,900. It was dedicated to St. John, and over the course of its existence this dedication was unofficially extended to incorporate both St. John the Divine and St. John the Evangelist. A century later, St. John's church had been declared redundant and was closed. It didn't manage to reach a full century. It was officially transferred out of the Church of England's possession in 1987. For several years it was used as a furniture restoration workshop before being converted to a veterinary surgery and animal hospital in 2009, in which capacity it remains today. The church has been divided into two storeys with windows cut into the former slate roof. The stained-glass in the main east and west windows has been removed to allow natural light to enter the building, but other stained-glass lancet windows, from the former chancel and north and south aisles, remain in-situ. There is a burial ground surrounding the church, which was sadly overgrown when I visited, but did include a small area of cut grass as a memorial to the men of the Dunton Green parish who fell in both World Wars. Following the closure the parish was absorbed into the neighbouring parish of St. Mary's, Riverhead. Text by Rob Baker
