The three hamlets of Beathwaite Green, Cotes and Causeway End, which were to become known as Levens in the 19th and 20th centuries were all within the Parish of Heversham , they had to wait until 1828 for their own chapel.
St. John’s, which cost £2000, was opened for divine worship on Advent Sunday 1828. The chapel was the gift of Mary, daughter of Richard and Frances Howard. The heiress of Levens Hall was noted for her generosity in the re-building of the Bellingham Chapel in Kendal Parish Church, among many other local worthy projects.
In the early 19th century the fashion for new churches was beginning to move away from the classical style of the 18th century, but ‘Victorian Gothic’ was still in its infancy. St. John’s is transitional with some pointed arches, but also the West Gallery of a former age. Here, singers and instrumentalists would lead the worship until they were replaced with the organ, and ultimately a robed choir with choir-stalls in the chancel. The two boards of the Creed, The Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, are above the main entrance. The church building has undergone some alterations over the years to provide space for children to play and a use of what was the choir vestry into a small area set aside for prayer. The west end has recently undergone more alterations to provide a open space for welcome and various activities.
The parish is part of the Kent Estuary group of parishes including Arnside, Beetham, Milnthorpe and Heversham.