Description

LEEDS

SE24SE CHURCH LANE, Adel
714-1/2/466 (East side (off))
26/09/63 Church of St John the Baptist

GV I

Anglican church. 1150-1170, C14 and C16 alterations. West
gable and bellcote 1838-39 by RD Chantrell, roof restored by
RD Chantrell in 1843, restoration 1879. Coursed squared
gritstone, stone slate roofs.
PLAN: small Norman 2-cell church composed of nave and
lower-roofed chancel, bellcote over W end renewed 1839.
EXTERIOR: a small unmoulded priest's doorway in the chancel S
wall. In the chancel S wall a very fine gabled portal of
1150-55: the doorway is round-arched and has an unbroken
roll-moulding and 4 orders, beaked heads on the innermost,
rich chevron ornament to the 2nd and 4th and 2 roll-mouldings
to the 3rd. The beak-heads and chevrons of the 2 inner orders
are continued down the jambs below the carved capitals; the 2
outer orders have round shafts in the jambs, with carved
capitals and bases. In the gable a weathered relief sculpture,
Christ in Majesty with symbols including the Lamb with flag,
the cross, sun and moon as described in Revelations, Chapter
4. The board door with iron studs has a C13 bronze closing
ring of fine workmanship depicting a monster swallowing a man.
Fenestration: small narrow Norman round-headed windows, those
on E and W ends reconstructed; a flat-headed C14 Decorated
window in chancel, S side; 2 flat-arched Perpendicular windows
to nave, S side. Corbel-frieze with faces and beasts, similar
frieze with 2 diminishing tiers along W gable, one head at
apex. N side: corner and centre pilasters, 4 Norman windows,
roll moulding below, corner pilaster to chancel, carved masks
and figures to corbel table. Gable copings, cross finials.
Vestry attached by short passage to NW side with hollow
chamfered arched doorway and trefoil window on E side; vestry
has 3-light E window with reset stained glass, gable above has
moulded blocking course; on W side a tall external stack with
banded top.
INTERIOR: 2 steps down into the church; fine chancel arch of
1160-70, 2 orders with chevron/zigzag, beak-head, chain of
rectangles; carved capitals with Baptism of Christ,
Crucifixion, centaur with bow, horseman with lance. At the W
end the font, octagonal and possibly original (found in the
graveyard in 1858), the carved oak canopy by Eric Gill, 1921,
depicting the Crucifixion, 6 of the Sacraments, and a
Christian arriving in heaven. The pulpit of carved oak has

panels carved in linenfold style, a plaque states that it was
presented by EW Beckett of Kirkstall Grange in memory of his
wife who died in 1891.
Stained glass by Henry Gyles of York to his friend Thomas
Kirk, in SW chancel c1706 and vestry (former E window) 1681.
(Anon.: Adel Parish Church, Guide Book, c1980; The Buildings
of England: Pevsner, N (revised by Radcliffe, E): Yorkshire
The West Riding: London: 1967-: 338).

Listing NGR: SE2746240237

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St John the Baptist at Wikipedia
• Church of St John the Baptist official website
• Wikidata Q17530532

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)