Church Of St John

ARMITAGE WITH HANDSACRE C.P. CHURCH LANE SK 01 NE 6/4 Church of St. John 27.2.64

GV II*

Parish church. West tower of 1632; the rest of 1844-7 by Henry Ward of Stafford, the rebuilding of a C12 and C13 structure. Ashlar with herring- bone tooling; plain tile roofs with crested ridge tiles and stone coped verges. West tower, 4-bay nave with side aisles and south porch, 3-bay chancel and north vestry / organ chamber. West tower. 3 stages with diagonal buttresses and crenellated parapet. Round-headed windows: 3 lights to first stage west, single lights to second stage, 2 lights to belfry. Nave and aisles. Norman style. Shafted buttresses at the bay divisions, and a Lombard frieze to both aisles. Round arch windows with colonettes and scalloped capitals. Circular window in west gable of south aisle. Gabled south porch has round outer arch with zig-zag ornament, springing from colonettes with scalloped capitals. Inside is a round arch door of 2 chevron moulded corners springing from chevron and cable moulded colonettes with scalloped capitals. Carvings around the opening including beak head. Gothic style chancel, and north vestry / organ chamber. South windows of former and north windows of latter are identical, being pointed with 2 trefoil-headed lights, and a quatrefoil in the head; hood moulds terminating in heads. Both east windows are pointed and of 3 trefoil-headed lights. The tracery of the vestry window is Geometric in character, whereas that of the chancel window is Perpendicular. Pointed priest's door on north side of vestry. Interior. 4-bay nave arcades with cylindrical columns, scalloped capitals, square abaci and chevron moulded round arches. Hood moulds terminating in grotesque heads. Tall narrow tower arch of 2 chevron moulded orders springing from cylindrical shafts with scalloped capitals chancel arch with roll-moulded inner order and chevron moulded outer order. Hammer beam roofs over nave and aisles. Wagon roof over chancel with arch-braced collars at the bay divisions springing from corbels carved as angels. 3-bay arcade of pointed arches on north side of chancel; 3 roll and fillet-moulded orders springing from grouped shafts. Fittings. Late C11/C12 stone font with frieze depicting a 7- bay arcade of round arches springing from cable-moulded columns with scalloped capitals. A pair of figures stands beneath each arch. C19 stone pulpit: ogee-headed panels with crocketed hoods; carved angels around the base. Early C14 style traceried choir stalls. Stained glass. East window of after 1868 depicting scenes from the passion. On the south side of the chancel are windows of 1872 and of after 1907. East window of south aisle after 1860. In the south aisle are drawings of the medieval church before it was demolished in 1844. B.o.E. pp. 61-2.

Listing NGR: SK0772016484