Church Of St John The Baptist

TM 0081 GARBOLDISHAM CHURCH STREET

14/15 Church of St. John The Baptist 16/7/58 - I

Parish church. C13, Cl4 and C15 restored 1862. Flint with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. West tower, nave, aisles and chancel. Tower C15 in 3 stages of chequered flint and stone masonry. Diagonal buttresses with flushwork, some forming geometric designs on bases with flushwork frieze. Blocked west doorway and roof line of porch below 3-light cusped window with depressed arch. 2-light louvred belfry windows with reticulation unit above 4-centred lights. Elaborate crenellated parapet with flushwork terminating in corner finials. Nave and aisles have plain parapets designated by string courses. South aisle has 4 3-light mid C14 windows of intersecting type with mouchettes under hoods on head stops. 4-centred south door with moulded jambs and flat buttresses. Clerestory of 4 2-light square-headed windows with ogeed lights and supermullions. Chancel reconstructed 1862 by G.E. Street. South side has arched priest's door with original hood mould, reticulated segmental window above and arched 2-light window in Early English style. 2 flat buttresses. 5-light east window of composite character. Lean-to vestry north of chancel. North nave with 4 3-light windows as south. Elaborate north porch of dressed flint and ashlar c.1500 commemorating William Pece : diagonal buttresses on plinth inscribed with Gothic characters, arched opening in square hood with fleuron jambs flanked by one canopied niche each side below shallow gable also with Gothic inscription and central shield. Roof of porch has decorated wall plate, principal on arched braces, 2 moulded purlins and ridge piece. Interior. 4 bay arcade of octagonal columns (second bay has circular columns) with moulded bases and capitals supporting double hollow chamfered arches. Clerestory windows are over apex of arches. Tall tower arch with circular responds and continuous hollow chamfered jambs. Chancel arch responds triple roll moulded with moulded arch. Nave roof c.1500 : tie beams on arched braces to wall plate, in turn supported on corbels; one tier moulded butt purlins, plain ridge piece and star bosses. Aisle roofs similar. C13 octagonal font on C19 plinth and stem. The bowl is decorated with square roll moulded blank panels. North-east chapel screen C15 of 4 bays and central ogeed opening, all above dado C19 or later. Dado panels painted with saints above base of - route tournants and below Perpendicular tracery head. C19 arch from chapel to chancel. 3 bench sedilia under chancel south window and double cusped and sub-cusped piscina. Base of chancel screen C15 with 4 bays each side of opening : quatrefoils and shields to base and Perpendicular tracery above. C19 chancel roof of collars on large arched braces to wall plate. Carved timber Royal Arms over south door.

Listing NGR: TM0042481630