If we combine Burnley, Pendle and Hyndburn we certainly have the churches – more of that later – although, in some cases, opening times might be a problem. This latter difficulty was recognised, I think, by Bishop Chesters who, before he retired, asked the churchwardens in each parish to make plans to advertise opening hours for the churches of his diocese. He recognised just how important are our churches, particularly our older ones, not only in spiritual terms but also in heritage terms.

Mention of heritage reminds me the now annual Burnley Heritage Open Days, from September 11th-14th, are almost with us. This year things are rather different in that Burnley has now been joined by Pendle to make Burnley and Pendle Heritage Open Days in which there are no fewer than 33 individual events. We must add to this the Briercliffe Society's Silver Anniversary Local History Exhibition in Harle Syke on September 13th and 14th and the equivalent in Padiham on September 20th and 21st.

Of the 33 advertised heritage events, no fewer than eight are to be held in churches, if the ancient private chapel at Towneley Hall is included. The others comprise: St Mary's RC, St Peter's, St Catherine's and St Cuthbert's, all in Burnley, St Leonard's in Padiham, St Mary's in Nelson and St John The Divine in Cliviger.

The church depicted in today's article is St John's which is almost unique in North-East Lancashire in that it is a church built in the 18th Century. The only other one of this period is dedicated to another St John, this time the Evangelist, and is situated in Blackburn. Both churches were under construction at the same time, Blackburn 1798 and Cliviger 1798-94. Viewings will confirm these two buildings are similar yet they are very distinctive when compared to other Anglican churches in our area. As you will see, they have more in common with Nonconformist chapels of the same period.

The picture I publish today is taken from a postcard posted in August 1916. It shows St John's almost surrounded by trees, with its handsome bell turret, the most distinctive feature of the building, clearly visible. The facade is divided into three bays with two tiers of windows with, in the middle, a pedimented doorway. All this sounds to be very complicated and it might seem to be more so if I add that there is "a lunette window seat in a blind arch". Expressed more simply, this means there is a half-moon, or crescent-moon shaped, window in a walled arch.

These features are typical of a church of the time in which it was built though this church is not typical of churches in Lancashire. This adds to its interest to us today, as the vast majority of our churches, whether ancient or modern, conform to the Gothic style – towers, spires, high arched windows, buttresses etc. However, I chose to publish this postcard view of St John's as it shows part of the graveyard and this is, perhaps, more well-known than the building itself.

It is not that the monuments are spectacular, St John's is not a necropolis of wealthy landowners and Victorian industrialists though a few are represented here. Like many a country churchyard St John's contains the remains of people from almost all walks of life.

The church has an interesting history although it is not an ancient one. The first reference to a place of worship on the site dates only to 1533 and it is now thought the building was a chantry set up by the family which lived at the Holme, which is nearby. In 1549 Edward VI, taking the example set by his father, Henry VIII, decided that chantries should be dissolved just as the monasteries had been. It was often the case that the more remote, and detached, chantries survived if they had a role within their communities. This was the case here, although very little information has come down to us, and it is probable that St John's was served from St Peter's in Burnley. That was certainly the case for at least some of the years from mid-16th to the 18th Century.

In the latter century Thomas Dunham Whitaker came into his inheritance and succeeded to the Holme Estate which, with very great energy, he set about improving. With an eye to the future, he planted 480,000 trees on his property winning, in the process, the Gold Medal of the Royal Society, but Dr Whitaker is better known as a historian, one of the founders of the proper study of local history.

Dr Whitaker was the personal bridge between the antiquarian (a compiler of family trees) and the local historian (someone who weighs the historical evidence). In fact, in his famous "The History of the Original Parish of Whalley", he acknowledges this area's great antiquarian, Christopher Towneley, without whom he could not have written his work.

However, there was more to Dr Whitaker. He was an austere justice of the peace, in office at a difficult time in English history, and a clergyman. Cliviger St John's was built on his own estate and largely at his expense. The "learned doctor", as he was referred to in his own times, was also vicar of Blackburn and vicar of Heysham but achieved his life's ambition when he was made vicar of Whalley.

If you want to see a memorial to Dr Whitaker, the place to go is Whalley Parish Church, but there is a bust of the great man, by C.R. Smith, at Cliviger Parish Church.

I will be leading a tour of the graveyard at St John's, the last resting place of a number of interesting local people, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 13th. Meet at the lych gate.