Building record 3174/1/1 - Church of St. John the Baptist, Caldecott

The parish church shows evidence of 12th century work, thought being built mainly in the 13th century. The church was added to in the 14th and 17th centuries and the north aisle and arcades were rebuilt and restored in 1849 by E F Law. Built of regular coursed and squared coursed limestone with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate and 19th century fish-scale tile roofs. The church consists of an aisled nave, chancel, south porch and tower attached to the north aisle.

{1} Church. Mid C13, C14, C17, north aisle and arcades rebuilt and restored 1849 by E.F. Law. Regular coursed and squared coursed limestone with ashlar dressings. Welsh slate and C19 fish-scale tile roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, south porch and tower attached to north aisle. South elevation of chancel of 3 bays, 2-window range with C14 three-light square-head window to left and restored lancet to right. Single chamfered south doorway to centre. 2-stage buttresses between bays. Steep gabled roof with shlar gable parapets. 3-light early Perpendicular east window with panel tracery. Flanking buttresses. North elevation of chancel. 3 blank bays with 2-stage buttresses between. South aisle of 4 bays, 3-window range of 3-light windows with intersecting tracery. Lean-to roof with ashlar parapets. Rainwater head has date 1913. 2-light east window with Y-tracery and single lancet west window with renewed tracery. Gabled porch to left of centre has hollow chamfer and moulded outer arch and double hamfered and stepped inner doorway with one order of shafts. C19 plank door with strap hinges. Datestone on porch 1635. North aisle of 3-window range of C19 two-light windows with 2-stage buttresses between bays. Lean-to roof with ashlar parapet. West lancet window. C13 tower is attached to east end of north aisle by vestry of one-window range with 2-light east window. Tower of 3 stages with shallow 2-stage gabled angle buttresses to lower stage. North face of lower stage has triple arcading ith shafts. Centre is a two-light window, restored C19. Outer arcades are blank with trefoil heads. Small doorway with roll moulding and shafts, in west face. Second stage is recessed with shallow angle buttresses to mid-point of each face. 2-light bell-chamber openings, with enclosing arch and shafts, to each face of upper stage. Castellated parapet and short plain pinnacles at corners. Inscribed tablet on east face of tower commemorates C20 restoration funded by squadrons of U.S. Air Force. W st elevation of nave has 4-light Perpendicular window with panel tracery. Nave clerestory of 3-window range of lancets restored C19. Shallow gabled roof with ashlar gable parapet and finial. Interior: 4-bay nave arcade of C13 double-chamfered arches with octagonal piers, all restored C19. East pier on north side is formed of 2 octagonal responds and circular respond to double chamfered arch at end of north aisle. Double chamfered chancel arch with octagonal responds. Double hollow chamfered a ch across east bay of south aisle has corbelled respond with carved head and foliage. Triple chamfered tower arch with octagonal responds. C19 roof structures. Double piscina with shaft between, to right of altar, is partially enclosed by east wall of chancel. 2 square-head niches to left of altar and shallow niches to left and right of east window have C20 figures. Trefoil-head piscina to right of south aisle altar. C19 octagonal font. Monuments: 2 mid C19 tablets in chancel. C19 stained gla s window to north-east window of north aisle. (Northamptonshire County Records Office - drawings collection.)

{10} Features revealed in 1980 during trenching associated with restoration of the church tower, on the north, east and west sides of the tower. Evidence of foundations of an earlier medieval tower cutting inhumations. Finds of medieval pot sherds.

{14} Monitoring of the excavation of a service trench from the north-east corner of the churchyard to the south porch of the church. At the south-west corner of the porch, the church foundation was 0.6m deep and extended 0.3m beyond the porch wall; it comprised roughly hewn, unmortared limestone blocks. A loose group of large stone blocks recorded close to the south aisle is judged to be a probable demolition
deposit.

{15} Undated photo;

{17} Sketch of Church;

{18} [Former list description] Church of St. John the Baptist
The stone church consists of chancel, nave and clerestory, aisles, S porch and tower on N side with connecting link to N aisle, and is mainly C13 with some remains of C12 work, restored C19. The tower has plinth and 3 stages, of which the 1st stage with corner buttresses is probably Norman altered C13. The walls of this stage
are much thicker than those of the upper stages and slope back at head. The battlemented parapet is later.
North front of tower has 3 bays of arcading in 1st stage, slender shafts, moulded caps and bases and window with plate tracery in centre. The connecting link has a window with similar tracery facing east.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 8/5 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G07 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.148 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Salzman L.F.(ed), 1937, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.8 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100371.

<5> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<6> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Book). SNN10400.

<7> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.163 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<8> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Series). SNN77383.

<9> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, (unchecked) (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<10> CADMAN G.E., 1980, Oral Report to SMR, (checked) (Oral Report). SNN51447.

<11> Supplementary File, (unchecked) (Report). SNN51907.

<12> Brown A.E. (ed.), 1981, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1980, p.207 Chelveston (unchecked) (Article). SNN100418.

<13> Lee M., 2004, Henry Penn, Bellfounder, 1685-1729, p.41-53 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109357.

<14> Turner I., 2019, Church of St John the Baptist, Chelveston, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication (Report). SNN111806.

<15> Photographs of buildings in Chelveston Cum Caldecott (Photographs). SNN112071.

<16> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 75 (Journal). SNN112426.

<17> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/61/1 (Archive). SNN115.

<18> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, DOE(HHR) District of Andle and Thrapston Rural District, April 1963 (Report). SNN112993.

<19> Historic England, Undated, St John the Baptist's Church, Chelveston cum Caldecott, BF107267 (Archive). SNN115873.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 1:14PM