Church Of St John

NZ 22 NW SHILDON CHURCH STREET (East side, off)

4/73 Church of St. John

II

Parish church. 1833-4 nave by Anthony Salvin; largely rebuilt and extended in 1881-2 by C. Hodgson Fowler who also rebuilt the tower 1891-1900. Dressed sandstone. Welsh slate roofs and green slate tower roof. Disengaged west tower; continuous aisled nave and chancel; north and south porches at west end Early English style with lancets under hoodmoulds.

3-stage west tower, defined by chamfered bands, has set-back buttresses. First stage has roll-moulded, pointed-arched doorway, on paired colonnettes, with 3 lancets above; north return has A.D. 1900 datestone. Second stage has circular clock faces and paired lancets to north return. Belfry has 3 louvred lancets, corbelled parapet and pyramidal roof. Flat, 2-stage stair turret to south return.

4-bay nave and 2-bay chancel. Buttressed aisles have paired lancets, sill string and continuous hoodmould. North aisle has blank east bay with pointed-arched vestry doorway to west. 2 eastern bays of south aisle contain organ chamber and Lady chapel. Roofs have coped gables. Single lancets of 1833 nave flank west tower. Low single-bay porches with monopitch roofs (in re-entrant angles between nave and aisles) have doorways with shouldered lintels under pointed arches. Triple-gabled east end. Projecting chancel has 3 stepped lancets. Sexfoil window in south aisle return. 2-light plate-tracery window to north aisle return.

Plain and plastered interior. Spacious nave and aisles. 4-bay north arcade has chamfered, pointed arches dying into octagonal piers. Similar 6-bay south arcade. Ceiled nave roof with braced tie beams. Aisle roofs have arch-braced tie-beams and collars. Raised sanctuary under depressed pointed arch. Semi-octagonal stone pulpit.

Has townscape value. Buildings attached to east end not of special interest.

Listing NGR: NZ2288726440