Parish Church Of St John The Baptist

HOLYWELL-CUM-NEEDINGWORTH HOLYWELL FRONT 1. 5140 Holywell Parish Church - TL 37 SW 7/34 30.5.58 St John the Baptist I 2. Parish Church. Nave, chancel and north aisle C13, south aisle circa 1300. West tower added in 1547 by the mason Thomas Roper. South porch dates from the 1862 restoration. Tower restored in 1915, vestry rebuilt in 1919. Built of stone and pebble-rubble with Barnack stone and some reused material in tower, possibly from Ramsey Abbey. Roofs of plain tiles and slate. Tower of three stages with moulded plinth and embattled parapet with crocketed pinnacles at angles. Octagonal angle buttresses become diagonal above first stage. West doorway, early C16 square-headed arch with moulded, shafted jambs and quatrefoils in spandrels. West window, square- headed arch with three trefoiled lights. Three reused C14 windows of two trefoiled lights in belfry. Nave clerestory ,has a range of three early C16 windows of two cinquefoil lights. Early C14 doorway to south aisle with jambs and two-centred arch of two hollow, chamfered orders, moulded label and damaged head-stops. Chancel has two original lancet-light windows with moulded labels and mask stops. East window by Nicholson inserted in 1931. Interior: North nave arcade of three bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders with moulded label, octagonal piers, moulded capitals and bases. Similar but later three-bay arcade to south. Tower arch rebuilt, two-centred outer orders richly moulded with bosses and rosettes in hollows. Chancel arch, two-centred with semi- octagonal responds, early C14. Roofs modern, only two of the eight carved figures circa 1500 recorded by RCHM 1926 can be seen attached to the chancel screen. Locker and piscina in chancel C13, font on late C13 octagonal stem with four round shafts. Modern chancel screen by Allens of Brampton, designed by Inskip Ladds. (RCHM Huntingdonshire p 140). (Inskip-Ladds Records, Norris Museum, St Ives).

Listing NGR: TL3365870814