Description

SK 82 SE BUCKMINSTER CHURCH DRIVE
(north side)
Church of St. John
2/1 the Baptist
1.1.68
I
G.V.

Parish church. C13, C14, C15. Restored and vestries added to
north aisle by C. Kirk, 1883. Tower and spire repaired 1843,
1874 and 1894. Limestone ashlar with ashlar dressings and lead
roofs. Chamfered plinths and moulded sill bands. South tower
with spire, nave with clerestory, north aisle and vestry,
chancel, south chapel, south aisle, south porch. South tower, 3
stages, has shallow clasping buttresses and to north east, a
square stair turret with a stair light on each stage. 2 moulded
string courses, coved eaves. First stage has to south a cusped
ogee triple lancet, with hood mould and stops. Second stage has
to south a C13 chamfered lancet, with hood mould and stops, and
to its right a C20 sundial. To west, a stair light. Bell stage
has to south, an ogee double lancet bell opening and to east and
west, plain double lancet louvred bell openings, all with moulded
reveals, hood moulds and mask stops. Below the east opening, a
clock. Octagonal broach spire has 2 tiers of gabled lucarnes in
the cardinal directions, those to the lower tier having plate and
reticulated tracery, and intermediate tiers of smaller lucarnes
on the alternate faces. Above, finial and weathercock. Nave, 4
bays, has mask and fleuron frieze, coped parapet and east gable
with cross. West end has a triple lancet with flamboyant tracery
and hood mould and above it, a C15 double lancet with panel
tracery and hood mould. Clerestory, C15, has 2 cusped ogee
double lancets with panel tracery. North side has to east a
similar double lancet. These windows have hood moulds. To west,
3 cusped ogee double lancets with flat heads. North aisle and
vestry, 4 bays, has moulded coped parapet, 2 angle buttresses and
2 intermediate buttresses with setoffs, and a gabled lateral
stack. North side has 2 C14 ogee triple lancets with panel
tracery and four centred arched heads, flanked to left by a
chamfered C19 doorway and to right by a C14 moulded and rebated
doorway. All these openings have hood moulds and stops. West
end has a mid C14 double lancet with flowing tracery. East end
has a C19 double lancet with Y tracery. Both these windows have
hood moulds and mask stops. Chancel, 2 bays, remodelled C15, has
coved eaves band and coped parapet and gable with cross. North
side has to east a squat C13 double lancet with Y tracery, hood
mould and mask stops. East end has sill band and 2 gabled
diagonal buttresses. Central blocked doorway and traces of roof
line. Above, a 5 light C15 lancet with panel tracery, fillet
moulded reveal and hood mould with mask stops. South side has to
east a C15 cusped ogee double lancet with panel tracery and hood
mould. South chapel, 2 bays, remodelled C15, has chamfered
plinth, moulded sill band, moulded eaves band, crenellated
parapet and gable. South side has 2 buttresses topped with
pinnacles. West buttress has above it, a gargoyle. To west, a
cusped ogee double lancet and to east, an untraceried triple
lancet with 4 centred arched reveal. Both windows have hood
moulds. East end has an untraceried C15 triple lancet with 4
centred arched reveal and hood mould. South aisle, 3 bays, C13
remodelled C15, has crenellated parapet and fleuron frieze.
South side has porch flanked to west by a C13 single lancet and
to east by a late C13 double lancet with chamfered reveal and
hood mould. West end has 2 angle buttresses and a C13 double
lancet with moulded reveal and hood mould. South porch, C13,
remodelled C15, has moulded plinth, chamfered sill band, fleuron
frieze, crenellated parapet and gable with ogee finial and
pinnacles. Moulded 4 centred arched doorway with hood mould and
mask stops, and keeled shafts. Above the door, 3 niches with
crocketed canopies. Porch interior has stone benches and
restored arch braced common rafter roof with foliate corbels.
Moulded and rebated C13 inner doorway with hood mould. Interior
has nave north arcade, C13, 3 bays, with octagonal piers and
responds with moulded bases and capitals, double chamfered and
rebated arches, and hood moulds with mask stops. Similar south
arcade has square eastern pier and C19 altered archway to tower
chamber. East end has to south an octagonal stair enclosure with
traceried panels and niche, and a stone newel stair. C15 roof
with moulded arch braces, bosses and wall shafts on mask corbels.
North aisle and vestry has moulded fleuron frieze. East end has
a C13 double chamfered archway with hood mould, mask stops and
octagonal imposts. Late Cl9 glazed traceried wooden screen.
Plain lean-to roof with animal mask corbels. South aisle has
similar frieze, roof and corbels. Chancel has C13 style multiple
chamfered arch with hood mould and octagonal shafts on foliate
corbels, and sill band. North side has to west, double chamfered
C13 archway with octagonal imposts. To east, C13 doorway,
restored, with hood mould, flanked to right by a tomb recess with
filleted roll mould. East end has blocked central doorway and to
left, a square aumbry. Stained glass east window, 1916. South
side has to east, a damaged Easter sepulchre with a moulded
square recess and above it, 2 gabled crocketed recesses with
finials. To its right, piscina and roll moulded graduated
sedilia with shafts, all c.1300. To west, double chamfered C13
archway with imposts. Restored common rafter roof with arch
braces and mask corbels. South chapel has at west end a restored
triple chamfered arch with responds with crenellated capitals.
North west corner has a square stair enclosure with blocked stair
with a pointed opening to south and above, to east, a stair
light. Restored C15 roof with arch braces and mask corbels.
Fittings include C15 octagonal font with quatrefoil panels,
embattled rim, and stem with clustered shafts. Late C19
traceried panelled stalls and desks with poppyheads, C19 and C20
benches with shaped ends, and late C19 brass lectern. Octagonal
linenfold panelled oak pulpit, 1892. 2 C17 bobbin turned chairs.
Large mid C16 oil painting by Carofalo. C17 iron bound poor box
on brackets. Memorials include brass, 1686, hatchment, 1603,
tablet on brackets, 1837, obelisk tablet with urn and weeper,
1844. Arch topped marble and alabaster war memorial tablet, 1918
by Cawthorp. Alabaster tablet, 1918.

Listing NGR: SK8790723078

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 27 October 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St John the Baptist at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17525577

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)