Building record 1478/1/4 - Church of St. John the Baptist, Hartwell

Church built in 1851 by Charles Vickers of London, the building is in Norman and Early English styles but retains the Transitional north arcade of the medieval church. The building is of coursed squared limestone with a plain tiled roof. The church consists of a chancel, vestry, nave and north aisle

{1} Church. Built 1851 by Charles Vickers of London at a cost of £2,000 in Norman and Early English styles, retaining Transitional north arcade of medieval church. Coursed squared limestone and plain-tile roof. Chancel, vestry, nave and north aisle. 2-bay chancel has 3-light stepped lancet east window and paired lancets either side with dog-tooth ornament and hood moulds. A lancet window to south-west with hood mould and priest's door to south with Caernarvon-arched head with dog-tooth ornament. Chamfered plinth, moulded string course, stepped over priest's door, corbel table and buttresses to angles and below east window. Vestry and stair to pulpit over boiler-house to north side of chancel has small chamfered lancet windows, Caernarvon-arched door at basement level, cornice with stiff-leaf decoration, lean-to slate roof, and circular stone flue. Nave has roll-moulded round-arched windows and pilaster buttresses to south. South door in gabled projection has two orders of shafts, the innermost shafts with toothed spiral moulding, scalloped capitals, and round-arched head with chevron and beak-head ornament. Round-arched windows to west end and stone bell-cote to west gable with a pair of round-headed arches and cross to gable. North aisle has similar windows. Buttresses to west angles and chamfered stone eaves to nave and aisle. Interior: chancel has 3-bay stepped arcade to pulpit stair with circular shafts, stiff-leaf capitals and trefoiled double-chamfered arches. Many-moulded round-arched chancel arch with one order of shafts and corbels innermost with elaborate stiff-leaf capitals. Stone pulpit incorporated in structure on north side of chancel arch and corbelled out from wall. Nave has 4-bay arcade of former church, late C12 or early C13, with round piers, capitals carved with stylized foliage, that furthest west incorporates serpents with intertwined tails, those to 2 easternmost piers have heads; round arches with dog-tooth. Chancel has scissor truss roof, nave has arch-braced collar trusses. Tub font with intersecting round-headed arcading. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p251)

{7} Undated photo;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 11/60 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F11 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.186-87 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77328.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.304 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<5> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.251 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<6> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<7> Photographs of buildings in Hartwell (Photographs). SNN112654.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:28PM