Church Of St John The Baptist

SP 79 NW GLOOSTON MAIN STREET (South Side)

3/17 Church of St. John the Baptist

7.12.66

II

Parish Church. Mostly of 1866 by Joseph Goddard of Leicester, with a few fragments of the earlier Church incorporated. Coursed ironstone rubble with Welsh slate steeply pitched roof. Small single celled structure, with western bell turret and chancel only slightly narrower than the nave. Paired gables to western bell turret, the west wall given expression by a massive central and two outer buttresses. Foiled lancet windows to either side of central buttress. South windows are Perpendicular in style with squared stilted hood moulds, with label stops and may be restorations of original windows. South door in buttressed and coped gabled porch with outer arch with stilted hood mould, scissor braced roof and inner chamfered arched doorway, a fragment of an earlier Church - C13 or C14, with corbel heads. Chancel windows also in Perpendicular style, the stilted hood moulds terminating in label stops that are angels etc. Slim buttresses to east wall, and east window of 3-lights in Decorated style. Ridge cresting and coped eastern gable with cross finial. North wall similarly detailed to south, with small high Victorian gothic gabled chimney to east, and one possible mediaeval lancet window. Mediaeval also the blocked north doorway with heavy corbel heads.

Inside vigorous high Victorian detail, the nave roof of king post construction on long raking braces supported on ornate corbels and with frequent secondary rafters. Continuous moulded sill band throughout nave, piscina in north wall, the ogee arched recess Victorian, the mutilated basin a mediaeval survival. Chancel only slightly structurally divided from nave, but is distinguished by a wooden chancel arch, resembling a massive roof truss, supported from stone foliate corbels. Chancel roof is amply timbered with scissor bracing. Small Victorian sedilia, and mediaeval piscina, ogee arched with crouching figure supporting the basin. Fittings including pews and pulpit and the south door probably date from 1866. Stained glass in one north nave lancet, 1863 and chancel east window 1867, Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The east window depicts scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist, and is richly coloured and Preraphaelite in mood. Font may be mediaeval. Plain octagonal basin and plain base.

Listing NGR: SP7487395790