Church Of St John

BISHOPS TAWTON HERNER SS 52 NE 10/45 CHURCH OF ST JOHN

II

Church. c.1870 with reused late Medieval carving inside said to have come from Barnstaple Guildhall. Squared rubble with brick dressings. Slate roofs with coped gable ends and apex crosses. Decorated style. Nave, chancel and south transeptal tower. Tower of 2 stages with crocketted pinnacles at the 4 corners and stepped parapet. 4-centred arched bell-opening to west side with louvre. Segmental brick arch to north side with 2 4-centred arched lights infilled. Pointed arched bell- opening to east side with traceried mouchettes, spandrels and timber lintel. Brick sill and jamb. The south side has 2-light bell-opening with ashlar dressings, above single light window in base, all with 4-centred arches. Reused C17 ovolo moulded window surround with foliated stops to the base of the jambs and thick glazing bars to 9-pane window on north side, 2nd stage. South side of nave has two 2-light pointed arch windows with quatrefoil and hoodmoulds. Gabled ventilator above. South porch situated towards gable end with chamfered and stopped surround to south doorway. Slated gabled roof to porch with apex wooden cross and carved bargeboards. Pointed arched east and west windows of 3-lights with hoodmould. 2 buttresses with offsets to north side, and 3 pointed arched windows of 2-lights with hoodmoulds. Single lancets with hoodmoulds to each side of chancel. Pointed arched doorway on east side of vestry and 2-light window on south side. Interior: all the openings have Victorian stencilled Vitruvian scrolled surrounds. There is a considerable amount of reused late medieval carving said to have come from Barnstaple Guildhall. 2 C19 arch braced trusses to nave roof are corbelled out with elaborately carved mythical beasts supported on consoles. 2 late C16 carved bench ends to front 2 pews on north side. Stone base to pulpit with drum of 4 facets with Gothic tracery to the reused panels, top rail treated with lunettes and variously carved heads between linenfolds. The returned end of the open facet has a tall carving with Oriental figure supported on mythical beast. Above the priests door is an opening to the tower filled with 3 panels of a reused screen with flame finials to the 3 ogee-headed lights, sexfoil tracery to the heads. Reused carvings in the hexagonal font with marble bowl and linenfold panels to the facets and blind tracery to the panels on the stem. Painted panels to reredos each side of altar, Truth, Valour, Peace to left side. Patience, Valour, Wisdom to right side. 4 panels above the altar with reused top rail with grotesque figures to each end, and lozenge carvings to the panels. Stained glass window to central nave window on north side to Chichester family 1876.

Listing NGR: SS5859526764