Church of Saint John the Divine

Church of Saint John the Divine

This is an Anglican parish church built in the late Gothic style with Arts and Crafts movement influence. The building is constructed of pinkish squared rubble stone with ashlar dressings and is covered by three parallel roofs of small greenish slates swept out at the eaves. The centre roof features a simple timber ridge lantern, gabled and boarded, positioned between the nave and chancel. Yellow rounded clay ridge tiles crown the roofline.

The church is built into a slope, with the nave and chancel under one roof, flanked by aisles. The chancel is raised above a large schoolroom, and the eastern ends of the aisles have basements. The southern aisle's eastern end provides entry to the schoolroom with stairs leading up to the aisle level.

The exterior demonstrates simple late Gothic detailing. Windows are generally flat-headed with segmental-pointed heads to the lights and relieving arches above. The chancel side windows are similar but cusped, while the eastern and western windows are segmental-pointed with late Gothic tracery. Ashlar quoins mark the corners.

The western end, built into the slope, features three gables, with the centre gable being higher. This central gable displays a traceried three-light segmental-pointed headed window with ogee heads to the lights and a hoodmould. A long two-light flat-headed window lights the northern aisle, also with a hoodmould. The southern aisle has two-light windows on each floor, with the upper one matching the northern aisle window pattern. Semicircular rainwater heads sit between the roofs.

The southern aisle has a segmental-pointed arched doorway to the left, featuring high moulded stops to the jambs and double studded plank doors with cover strips and wrought iron hinges. Four three-light windows follow, with a single light set lower to illuminate the basement stair.

The eastern end displays a long segmental-pointed traceried two-light window with stone voussoirs, positioned above a basement two-light window to the left and a segmental-pointed ashlar doorway with stone voussoirs to the right. The doorway has double doors with wrought iron flat hinges and applied iron half-circles on each door.

The chancel has two three-light windows to the south and three to the north, all set high with flat heads and cusped-pointed lights. The eastern chancel window is large and traceried, three lights with cusped ogee heads and panel tracery above. The chancel basement has simpler three-light windows: two to the south, one to the east, and three to the north.

The northern aisle has a traceried two-light eastern window similar to the southern aisle's eastern window, positioned above a segmental-pointed basement door. Four three-light windows light the north side, with one two-light window to the basement.

Interior

The interior is whitewashed and plastered with timber roofs throughout. Arcades of six bays feature round whitewashed plastered piers on ashlar octagonal bases with ashly round capitals finely carved with Arts and Crafts leaf designs. Bosses sit at four corners beneath caps with chamfered corners that answer to the chamfers of the plastered segmental-pointed arches. The southern arcade has an ashlar eastern pier with a capital bearing an incised cross and a finely lettered inscription reading "Advent 1912". A painted similar respond exists on the northern arcade. The western end of the arcades simply dies into the wall.

The centre roof of unusual form features arch-braced collar trusses. However, the western bay, the nave eastern bay, and two chancel bays are boarded to a parabolic profile. In these bays, the trusses have a curved beam over the collar. The truss over the chancel screen features tracery in its apex. Red tile and parquet floors cover the floor, and windows have segmental-pointed ashlar heads to the reveals, with the jambs of the first window of each aisle carried down to floor level. At the nave's western end sits a small stone-lined recess set to the left.

The southern aisle's western end is enclosed with an internal porch featuring a gallery over. The western door has chamfered ashlar jambs and a high carved stop similar to the external southern door, with a chamfered timber lintel. Double studded plank doors with wrought iron hinges close this entrance. An ashlar coved coping crowns the gallery. The porch has a beamed ceiling. The aisle itself contains five tie-beam-and-collar trusses with raking struts, with principals carried down lower to the outer walls. The eastern end houses an organ positioned over a panelled wall, with a door to the vestry and another door to the right leading to basement stairs. The panelling includes some Gothic blind tracery to the upper panels beneath the organ pipe-front, which has Gothic casing. The northern aisle has a matching roof and is fitted as a Lady Chapel, featuring a painted timber frame to a large damask panel and a painted timber cornice at sill height lettered with "All things bright and beautiful...".

The chancel features a large segmental-pointed arch to the right, framing the organ console. The jambs of the two northern windows and the eastern window are carried down to floor level. The floor in front of the stalls has panels of diagonally set encaustic tiles, with three stone-fronted steps leading to the altar, which is covered with red tiles and some encaustic tiles. The southern wall contains a piscina with a cusped head, shelf, and quatrefoil bowl.

The basement contains an entrance hall and a Sunday schoolroom beneath the chancel.

Fittings and Furnishings

The church contains extensive oak fittings, most dating from the late 1930s and elaborately carved in the late Gothic style.

The pews feature linenfold bench ends and front kneelers with panels, separated by carved strips with various motifs. A detached piece of oak panelling with six roundels, possibly from the 17th century, is also present.

The Gothic oak pulpit is ornately carved with ogee traceried panels. The front displays a statue of St John beneath a nodding ogee canopy. A small timber lectern dates from 1937.

A very large screen of 1937 dominates the chancel, featuring linenfold bottom panels and delicate ogee tracery to the heads of tall open panels above, with three on each side and a broad centre with a double ogee-traceried head. The cornice bears undercut vine trail ornament, with a centre shield displaying a pelican, cornice, and cross above.

The western end holds an ashlar font by Coates Carter with a small octagonal bowl featuring square rosette panels set on a large base stepped out in two large chamfered tiers over three small ones.

In the Lady Chapel stands an ornate brass eagle lectern from St James Pontypool, dated 1902.

The eastern end of the northern aisle contains a panelled carved oak altar with two kneelers bearing a carved vine motif to their centres.

The chancel holds a large panelled oak altar with carved strips between panels and carved oak altar rails with linenfold on the uprights and rose and lily scrolls under the top rails. Stalls of 1937 occupy both sides, with two rows each: the front with a traceried rose carved in the bench end and the rear with a moulded end. Front kneelers have linenfold panels between narrow traceried panels and a finely lettered frieze reading "O ye children of men bless ye the Lord praise him and magnify him". Two reading desks have carved front kneelers with linenfold and carved leaf friezes, with leaf bosses on the chair elbows.

An oak panelled organ console sits in the arch to the south, with the organ itself dating from 1938.

A large painted carved hanging crucifix is also present.

Stained Glass and Memorials

The eastern window contains three lights from around 1975, featuring much clear glass with an enthroned Christ in the centre light.

Two alabaster plaques in the chancel commemorate John and Susan Paton, whilst a brass plaque honours 2nd Lieutenant J.E. Paton, killed in 1914.