Church Of St John The Evangelist

Church of St John the Evangelist

A church dated 1852 on its rainwater heads, designed by W & G Habershon. The building is constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and a plain tile roof.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, south west tower, south west porch, and north east vestry. A moulded ashlar plinth extends around the entire building, with a moulded top to the tower. The south front features the tower and porch to the left. An angle buttress stands to the left of the tower, with a gabled porch abutting and flush against it. The porch has colonnettes to either side and a roll-moulded arch set with ball flowers. A hood mould with figurehead label stops and rubble voussoirs sits above. The left-hand label stop also terminates a low string course running around the tower at the level of the first buttress offset. The gable above the porch carries a trefoil and cross at its apex. A buttress rises from the left side of the gable to the tower. At the junction of porch and tower is a gargoyle with a spout to the dated rainwater head.

The tower's lower stage has a double lancet with hood mould and figurehead label stops. Two trefoils sit above at the same level where the angle buttress dies into the tower via a gabled offset. The tower diminishes in girth above this offset. The belfry opening has double cusped lights and a quatrefoil to the apex, with a gable above carrying a trefoil at its apex and a cross at the summit.

To the right of the tower and porch are three nave windows of two cusped lights with trefoils to their apexes and hood moulds with label stops of figurehead and floral design. A corbel table above displays a mixture of beast and human masks with ball flower and dogtooth ornaments. Offset buttresses sit between the windows. The slightly recessed chancel has two windows with cusped heads and triple trefoils in circles. A priest's door between them has a hood mould with figurehead label stops. A stone sanctus bellcote sits at the gable end of the nave, apparently never intended to accommodate a bell given its very narrow lancet opening.

The east end has a window of three cusped lights with two quatrefoils and one trefoil in circles to the apex, featuring a hood mould with figurehead label stops. A trefoil sits in the gable with a cross at the summit. To the right is a basement opening in a brick area with mid-19th century railings and gates decorated with quatrefoil outlines and fleur-de-lys finials.

The north front features one chancel window similar to those on the south side. The vestry to the right has a double cusped lancet. A five-bay aisle adjoins the nave with a roof of shallower pitch. All aisle windows have two cusped lights with trefoil or quatrefoil to the apex in circular surrounds. A dated rainwater head appears to the right.

The west end has an aisle window to the left of two cusped lights with cinquefoil to the apex. A buttress to the left carries a gabled upper offset. A nave window of four cusped lights with quatrefoils above and sexfoil to the apex sits to the right. A staircase turret to the right of this has a square base dying via broach offsets to a semi-octagonal body with lancet and trefoil stair windows. The tower lancet to the right follows the same ordering as on the south front.

Interior: The nave extends for five bays. Roof trusses with moulded arched principals are supported on angel corbels carrying shields. An open screen of trefoil motifs features brattished cresting to the eaves. Alternating octagonal and circular piers support the northern aisle arcade, each with moulded bases, capitals and arches.