Description

WOLVEY CHURCH HILL
SP48NW (East side)
4/33 Church of St. John the Baptist
06/10/60
- II*

Church. C12 origins. Rebuilt early C13 and C14; tower C15. Chancel gable rebuilt
1624; nave north wall dated 1630. Clerestory rebuilt C19. Chancel rebuilt 1858.
Porch added and chancel south wall rebuilt 1909. Various sandstones: regular
coursed stone chancel and nave north wall; coursed squared stone aisles and
tower. Porch of limestone ashlar:Chancel and porch have plain-tile roofs with
ridge cresting and coped gable parapets with cross finials; chancel has gablet
kneelers; porch has moulded kneelers. Nave has slate roof with ridge cresting.
Low-pitched aisle roofs are not visible. Moulded cornices and parapets
throughout. Aisled nave, chancel, west tower, south porch. Largely Decorated
style. 3-bay chancel, 4-bay nave. Chancel and south aisle have diagonal
buttresses of 2 offsets. Chancel east wall has moulded plinth. C19 three-light
window has bar tracery. Gable has 2 panels, one above the other, inscribed 'AND
DNI 1624' and 'ROBART KELLET'. North and south sides have splay plinth and
buttress of 2 offsets. South side has C19 chamfered Tudor arch doorway, blocked
inside, with sunk spandrels and hood mould, and plank door. 2-light
triple-chamfered north and south western windows have C19 tracery. North side
has drip course to eastern part. Early English style south porch has splay
plinth. Arch of 2 orders with attached shafts, hood mould and head stops. Gable
has datestone. Small trefoiled ogee east and west lancets. C12 doorway inside
has nookshafts. Inner order has fleurs-de-lys-type motifs, and capitals of
interlace to left and a dragon to right. Outer order has chevron, and scalloped
capital to left and foliage to right. C14 segmental-pointed doorway inserted
within has C19/C20 double-leaf doors. Early C14 south aisle has splay plinth to
east. West angle buttresses of 2 offsets. South-east and south-west corners have
crocketed pinnacles. East and 3 south 3-light windows have cusped intersecting
tracery, largely renewed to south. Parapet has blind quatrefoils. 2-light west
window has reticulated tracery. Hood moulds with head stops throughout.
Clerestory has straight-headed windows of 2 trefoiled ogee lights. West
buttresses. North aisle has 4 north buttresses, one gableted. 3-light windows.
East, north, east and west windows have reticulated tracery and hood moulds.
East and north-east windows have head stops. Small moulded north doorway has
ribbed door. 3-light north window has cusped intersecting tracery. Perpendicular
tower of 3 stages. Splay and moulded plinth. Diagonal buttresses of 4 offsets.
3-light west window has small cinqfoiled niche with moulded base above. Second
stage has chamfered straight-headed opening and clock face. Small trefoiled
lancet to south. Each side has small carved head set in wall. Third stage has
2-light openings. Moulded embattled parapet. Interior: chancel has ogee piscina.
3-bay C19 moulded scissor-brace roof. Chancel arch, dated 1858 on keystone, has
half-octagonal responds. Nave has C14 four-bay arcades of 2 chamfered orders
with octagonal piers and moulded capitals; north arcade has more elaborate
mouldings. C15 tower arch of outer and inner Tudor arches, the inner chamfered
and with moulded imposts. C19 low-pitched queen strut roof with tracery. North
aisle has lean-to roof with some old timbers; a rafter is inscribed 'HT TF CW
1726'. South aisle has door and rood loft stair. Remains of piscina. Two C13
sedilia have roll-moulded round arches and simple shafts, and inner trefoiled
arches. Roof similar to south aisle. A rafter is inscribed 'EB TF 1778 TA'.
Fittings: C14 octagonal font has blind tracery which is partly C19. Mid C19
fittings include octagonal wood pulpit with elaborate blind tracery, niches etc.
Stone reredos with blind tracery. Brass and wood altar rails. Panelled alms box
dated 1723. Iron bound chest. Monuments: chancel south: Thos. Noble, 1784.
Architectural wall monument with broken pediment and vase. Nave south-west
corner: Richard Warner, 1785. Large blackened slate vertical slab with incised
Neoclassical ornament. North aisle east: Thomas Astley, 1603, and his wife
Katherine. Chest tomb with alabaster effigies. The inscription records that it
was renovated by John Astley, 1702. North wall: Elizabeth Arnold, 1788. Large
standing Tuscan Doric monument in grey and white marble, with half-columns and
pilasters, and shaped gable with urn finial. West end: Thomas and Alice de
Wolvey. Early C14 effigies.
(V.C.H.: Warwickshire, Vol.VI, pp.284-5; Buildings of England: Warwickshire,
pp.479-480; Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire, 1892, pp.251-252).

Listing NGR: SP4307187983

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17550847

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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