Listed Building: Church of St. John the Baptist (1371303)

Church. C13 and C15 with late Norman origins. Porch and chancel of 1801. Chancel, nave, south aisle, south porch and west tower. Coursed squared limestone and ironstone, with ironstone dressings, limestone ashlar to chancel and porch; lead, slate and plain-tile roofs. 2-bay chancel. First bay is windowless and wider than east end, which has rounded corners and similar flattened curve to heads of windows. These have key blocks and leaded crown glass panes to south and north chancel windows. East window has keyblock inscribed DEO. Ironstone plinth, hollow-chamfered cornice, plain stone-coped parapet and hipped slate roof. Roof-line of original chancel roof with steep pitch on east gable wall of nave. Nave has Perpendicular clerestory of 3 windows to south and 2 windows to north, all of 2-lights, with 4-centred heads, trefoil-headed lights and hood moulds; plain stone-coped parapets. Roof-line and blocked arch to north-east of former transeptal chapel. Arch blocked by wide offset buttress. Blocked, moulded trefoil-headed piscina to east side of arch and blocked entry above to gallery of former rood screen. Chamfered north doorway with studded plank door. South aisle has 3-light Perpendicular windows, all with 4-centred heads and hood moulds and plain stone-coped parapet. Hollow-chamfered south doorway with studded plank door. Porch has wider, shallow inner bay and entrance bay with rounded corners and stepped and hollow-chamfered doorway. Stone above doorway inscribed POPULO. Stone-coped parapet and pyramidal slate Roof with small ball finial. 3-stage tower has 2-light C13 bell-chamber windows with blank quatrefoils to heads and hood moulds and 2-light Perpendicular bell-chamber openings above with 4-centred heads and hood moulds. Low off-set angle buttresses, battlemented parapet and pyramidal slate roof with weather-vane to apex. Interior: double-chamfered chancel arch with polygonal responds. Nave has 3-bay arcade with circular piers, keeled responds, moulded bases and capitals and double-chamfered arches. Aisle has cinquefoil-headed piscina. Double-chamfered tower arch dying into walls. Small lancet window above, now internal, with deep splay. Plaster ceilings to nave and chancel. Chamfered cambered tie-beams to aisle roof. C18 baluster font. Polygonal pulpit of c.1800 with inlay panels, Chancel and porch were rebuilt during the incumbency of Edward Bayley, who rebuilt the Rectory (q.v. Old Rectory) at the same time. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, pp380-381; VCH: Northamptonshire: 1937, Vol IV, p283).

Record last edited

Sep 5 2023 12:15PM