Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST (11/132)

Church. Late C12, C13 and C14, restored 1891. Squared coursed limestone and lias, with ashlar aisle and spire. Lead and Collyweston slate roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. South elevation of chancel of 2-window range of 2- and 3-light Perpendicular windows with 4-centred arch-heads. Square-head priests door, to left of centre, and 2-stage buttress to right of centre. Shallow gabled roof, with plain ashlar parapets. 5-light Perpendicular east window with panel tracery. Flan ing, 2-stage, clasping buttresses have carved beasts at upper stage. Shallow gable, with finial, above window. North elevation of chancel is of 2 bays, one-window range, with a 3-light, Perpendicular window, with 4-centred arch-head, to right. 2-stage buttress to centre. South aisle is limestone ashlar, partly banded with lias. 4 bays, 3-window range. 3-light square-head window to far right. 3-light window, with reticulated tracery, to right of centre, and similar window to far left. 2-stage abled buttresses at corners and between bays, to right. Lean-to roof with ashlar parapet. 2-light east window with reticulated tracery and 2-light west window with roundel and roll mouldings. Gabled porch, with Collyweston slate roof, to left of centre. Wide outer doorway with 2-centred arch-head, roll moulding, nail-head decoration and one order of shafts. Inner doorway has a 2-centre arch-head with roll moulding and a C15 doorway set in the original opening. This has a 4-centred arch-head decorated spandrels and central deivce, probably a crown. North aisle of 4 bays, 2-window range of 2-light windows to left. North doorway, to right of centre, has 2-centred arch-head, roll moulding and 3 orders of shafts. 2-stage buttresses between bays to left, and right and at corners. Lean-to roof with ashlar gable parapets. South nave clerestory of 4-window range of 2-light square-head windows with hood moulds and carved label stops. Shallow gable roof with ashlar parapet and finial. East all of nave has outline of earlier chancel roof line. North nave clerestory of 4-window range of C15 four-light square-head windows with king mullions and arch-head lights. Late C12 west tower of 3 stages with shallow pilasters at each corner. South-west corner is the stair turret. All angles have lias dressings. Lancet windows to west face of lower stage, and south face of second stage. 2-light bell-chamber openings to each face of upper stage have 2-centred Transitional arch-heads, with 3 t ers of lucarnes. Interior: 4 bay nave arcade of double-chamfered arches with octagonal piers and polygonal responds. Similar chancel arch with polygonal responds. Triple-stepped and single-chamfered tower arch with polygonal and stepped responds and waterleaf capitals. Nave and aisle roofs have some original timbers, restored C19. Chancel roof is C19. Trefoil head piscina, to right of altar, has remains of triple, ogee-head, sedilia alongside. South aisle has piscina and triple sedilia, with arved label stops. Staircase access from south aisle to rood loft. Perpendicular rood screen with one-light divisions and ribbed coving. Restored Jacobean panelled screen to north aisle vestry. Jacobean pulpit dated 1605 originally at Barrowden in Leicestershire. Square font, with trefoil panels at sides, supported on 5 shafts. Stained glass: fragments of medieval glass in aisle and chancel windows. Late C19/early C20 east windows to chancel and south aisle. Hatchment in north aisle. Monument : Tryon family vault in north aisle forms a raised platform, built in early C18 probably in 2 stages. Central doorway with flight of steps down and 2 flanking flights of steps up. Fine iron railings. Wall monument above platform to 4 generations of Tryons, probably c.1710 has 2 standing cherubs, cherubs heads and garlands with shield at head. Oval inscribed tablet alongside. William Gardiner, d.1719; inscribed brass plaque in floor of nave. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p250; RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p81)

Record last edited

Jul 5 2021 10:28AM