Church Of Saint John The Baptist

Church of Saint John the Baptist, Ightfield

Parish church of late 15th-century date, restored and substantially rebuilt in 1865. The building is constructed in dressed red and grey sandstone with ashlar dressings, the chancel and south porch being in grey sandstone ashlar, all under plain tile roofs. It comprises a 3-bay nave with north aisle, 2-bay chancel, south porch, and west tower, with the chancel designed in Perpendicular style.

Tower

The tower rises in three external stages above a moulded plinth. Chamfered string courses run between the stages, with diagonal buttresses featuring chamfered offsets rising the full height. At the top sits a parapet string carved with square Tudor-flower ornament, with carved gargoyles at the corners (that at the north-east corner being squared to the east) and a carved quatrefoil frieze below. The battlemented parapet has moulded coping and crocketed corner pinnacles with trefoil-panelled dies. A projecting half-octagonal stair turret stands to the north-east with a chamfered-arched boarded door to the west at its base, small rectangular windows, a first string course adorned with a carved head, and a pyramidal stone cap with finial. The belfry openings consist of three trefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds (except to south and east) with carved stops; the north belfry opening is offset to the west. A quatrefoil sounding hole in the middle stage to the north is set in a chamfered square recess with hoodmould. The west window contains three cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, moulded reveals, and a returned hoodmould. The west doorway has a moulded arch with hoodmould featuring carved stops and a 19th-century boarded door with strap hinges. A clock is set in the second stage to the south.

Nave

The nave has a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses with chamfered offsets, a chamfered parapet string, and a battlemented parapet with moulded coping, crocketed pinnacles with trefoil-headed dies, and a parapeted gable end with chamfered coping and cross at the apex. The central south window contains three cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, double hollow-chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with carved stops. The right-hand window has three cinquefoil-headed lights with unusual panelled tracery including three octafoils (the centre elongated), moulded reveals, and a hoodmould with carved stops; the left stop depicts a lion and the right probably a boar. A south doorway to the left has a deeply-moulded four-centred arch, carved spandrels, a returned square hoodmould, and a 19th-century boarded door with decorative strap hinges.

South Porch

The 15th-century porch features a moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses with chamfered offsets, a moulded parapet string, and a battlemented parapet with panelled crocketed finials. The deeply-moulded entrance arch has a hoodmould with carved stops, trefoil-panelled spandrels, and a quatrefoil frieze above under a square hoodmould. The porch interior contains side benches. Three narrow vents pierce the apex of the nave east gable end.

North Aisle

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets, and parapeted gable ends with stone copings and crosses at the apices. The north windows contain three cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, moulded reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved heads serving as stops. A moulded ogee-arched doorway in the right-hand bay has a 19th-century boarded door. The east window has three cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, moulded reveals, and a hoodmould with carved heads as stops; a straight joint appears to the left. A 19th-century west window has two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, moulded reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved heads as stops.

Chancel

The chancel has a chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses to the east (with moulded plinths) featuring chamfered offsets, a chamfered parapet string, and a battlemented parapet with trefoil-panelled crocketed pinnacles and a parapeted gable end with stone coping and cross at the apex. The east window contains three cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with carved heads as stops. The right-hand south window has two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, moulded reveals, and a returned hoodmould. A moulded ogee-arched priest's doorway to the left has a boarded door. The north windows contain two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, moulded reveals, and returned hoodmoulds.

Interior

The interior features a 3-bay aisle arcade of octagonal piers with moulded capitals and chamfered bases, supporting double-chamfered arches. A tall 15th-century double-chamfered tower arch has the inner chamfer with moulded imposts and bases and a continuous outer chamfer with broach stops. A 19th-century chancel arch of two orders (the outer with a continuous hollow chamfer and the inner moulded) springs from moulded stone corbels. Chamfered rear arches occur throughout; the south-east nave window has moulded reveals, the aisle windows have hollow-chamfered and moulded reveals, and the south-east nave window has moulded reveals. The north aisle doorway has a four-centred rear arch; the ogee-arched chancel south doorway has moulded reveals. The east window retains a returned hoodmould. Beneath the south chancel window is a sedile, and to the north is a moulded cinquefoil-headed arched aumbry. Small blocked rectangular openings appear above the chancel and tower arches.

The 19th-century four-bay nave roof has a chamfered stone wall plate, moulded ogee-arched braces springing from carved stone corbels, a low brattished collar, arched braces above with pierced spandrels, and pairs of purlins with cusped wind braces. The 19th-century three-bay chancel roof has a chamfered stone wall plate and brattished wooden plate, trusses with cusped arched braces springing from moulded stone corbels, a ridge piece with longitudinal cusped braces, and purlins with cusped wind braces.

Fittings and Monuments

The fittings are mainly of 1865 or later date. A painted wooden reredos has three bays with a central arched panel, flanking cinquefoil-headed panels, and brattished top, with flanking panelling featuring cinquefoil heads to the top tier. Other fittings include a carved wooden altar table, altar rails with wrought-iron supports and wooden rail, choir stalls, a polygonal stone pulpit with stem, moulded base, traceried panels, brattished and moulded top, and four steps. Pews have traceried ends. An octagonal stone font features a chamfered step, stem with moulded base, bowl with alternating carved grid and quatrefoil panels, and wooden cover. Wrought-iron light fittings are present throughout. An oak parish chest dates to around 1500. The chancel has 19th-century encaustic tiles and some 19th-century stained glass.

The church contains a brass of late 15th-century date to Dame Margery Calverley, widow of Philip Egerton, depicting a figure beneath a triple canopy with a figure of Saint John the Baptist above. A further brass to William Maynwaryng has its head replaced in 1895. A drawing dated 1961 records the former 14th-century north aisle roof with moulded ribs and carved bosses, now replaced.

Historical Context

The Domesday Book records the presence of a priest at Ightfield. The 1865 restoration cost £3,000.