Church Of St John The Baptist

SO 9003 CHALFORD KEEBLE ROAD, France Lynch (east side)

11/53 Church of St John the Baptist

GV II*

Former chapel of ease, now parish church. 1855-7 by G.F. Bodley for Rev Thomas Keble. Ashlar limestone; concrete tile roof (original stone slate retained on porch). Nave with north aisle, south porch and chancel with 2-storey north vestry. Very massive effect to nave walls reinforced by small window areas and large buttresses. Parapet gabled porch with pointed arch and hoodmould with carved floral stops. High chamfered plinth with round moulding. Unequally-spaced south nave windows, two with 3-light geometrical tracery. Large offset buttress with gabled top at junction with chancel. Simple pointed bellcote at east end of nave. Three tall gabled offset buttresses to west end of nave with two 2-light narrow geometrical traceried windows between. Long low lean-to roof to north aisle with small lancet windows; tall 2- storey vestry with east and west gables each with high traceried windows, circular with 3 trefoils to east. Buttress and tall projecting chimney stack on north side, paired octagonal shafts cut down. Three plain buttresses to east end taken up from high plinth; fine 5-light geometrical traceried east window which, together with vestry and bellcote gives a very bold effect. Interior: limewashed with ashlar dressings. Fine 4-bay north arcade with alternating octagonal and cylindrical piers, each with individually carved capitals of stiff-leaf type by Thomas Earp. High cusped collar truss roof with arched bracing; stone corbels in variety of designs. Floral roundels on inner order of pointed chancel arch supported on paired detached Purbeck marble shafts with delicately carved capitals and corbel bases. Stone choir screen with lapis lazuli and malachite inlay in recessed quatrefoil panels. Stepped chancel floor with Minton encaustic tiles. Marble and coloured tile inlay to large reredos of bold original design, the large central roundel with inlayed cross. Rere arches to chancel windows with attached marble jamb shafts. Fine octagonal marble pulpit with further stone inlay in matching style, the whole effect being very rich but sensitive and most original. Octagonal font of Devonshire marble with good ironwork to cover. Stained glass mostly by N.W. Lavers except large c1878 east window by Hardman. This is Bodley's first complete church. (D. Verey, article in country Life, 20th May 1971; 'George Frederick Bodley' in ed. J. Fawcett, Seven Victorian Architects, 1976; and Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979)

Listing NGR: SO9014103114