Description

TL 0475 BYTHORN AND KEYSTON KEYSTON

19/40 Parish Church of
28.1.58 St John the Baptist

GV I

Parish church. Nave, north and south aisles mid C13, chancel late C13. West
tower and south porch mid C14. Late C15 east wall of chancel rebuilt and
north and south walls heightened, north and south transepts added and aisles
largely rebuilt; clerestory added to nave. Restorations in 1883, 1898
(Pevsner suggests a C19 rebuilding of the spire). Roofs renewed in C16 and
former vault to tower replaced by a wooden floor. Walls of Weldon rubble with
dressings of Weldon and Barnack limestone. Roofs of zinc and lead. South
elevation: West tower of three stages with moulded plinth and octagonal
broach spire, second stage window of one trefoiled-light with moulded label
and beast-head stops; belfry with two embattled transomed windows each with
two upper and lower trefoiled-lights and a quatrefoil in a two-centred head
with moulded labels and head stops, the jambs are enriched with flowers and
the cusping of the tracery with rosettes at the points. Below the cornice a
deep band of panels with blind tracery. Octagonal spine with shaped finials
to the broaches and three tiers of gabled spire-lights divided in first two
tiers by a central shaft and with shafted jambs, quatrefoils or trefoils; the
windows of the third tiers have single lights with trefoiled ogee heads. (The
west doorway is recessed within the thickness of the wall with a very fine
outer ogee headed cusped arch). Clerestory and aisle with plain moulded
parapet; five clerestory windows each of two trefoiled lights with vertical
tracery in a four-centred head with moulded label. South aisle with moulded
plinth continuous around south transept, three C15 windows each of three
cinquefoiled lights in four-centred arches with moulded reveals and labels,
transept window with two-lights in a four-centred head, possibly C17 using
earlier material. South porch with moulded plinth and plain parapet, has a
two-centred arch of two wave-moulded outer orders and inner order springing
from attached shafts with moulded capitals. Chancel with raised walls and
plain parapet. Three windows from left to right; C15 window of three
cinquefoiled lights in a four-centred head with moulded label and beast-stops,
eastern window C13 of two pointed lights with pierced spandrel in two-centred
head with moulded label and defaced head stops. Interior: Nave arcade, mid
C13 north arcade of five bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders,
east respond semicircular, piers round and octagonal with moulded capitals and
bases on square plinths: south arcade mid C18 similar in design to the north
arcade; south doorway with moulded jambs and two-centred head with moulded
label and head stops. Tower arch, two-centred of three chamfered orders with
moulded label to the nave; circular staircase in south-east angle with
quadripartite ribbed vault. Chancel arch, c.1300 of three chamfered orders,
responds each with three attached shafts, moulded capitals and bases. South
doorway C13 with moulded and shafted jambs with 'stiff-leaf' capitals and
moulded bases, and moulded trefoiled arch with foliated spandrels and moulded
labels. Roofs: North transept late C15 or early C16 low pitched of two bays
with cambered tie beam and curved braces with foliated spandrels carved with
an eagle, moulded purlins and principal rafters and wall-plate, spandrel above
the tie beam with foliate carving, a grotesque face and two roses; south
transept roof of two bays and nave roof of five bays, both similar, with
cambered and moulded tie beams, curved braces, wall-posts and ridge purlins,
with bosses in the centre of the tie beams, the spandrels between the braces
and tie-beams to the nave have pierced traceried panels, some painted
decoration in east truss survives: north aisle roof, C16 of four bays
enriched with foliate spandrels and moulded carved braces forming four-centred
arches: south aisle roof C17 of four bays: south porch roof of two bays with
cambered tie beams and moulded rafters and ridge piece restored. North and
south doors C16. Font, C13, octagonal bowl with tapering sides. C15 glass in
chancel, north transept, and south transept. Original C17 pews in aisles, one
dated 1608, and seats reusing C17 material. Sedilia c.1300 in chancel of
three bays with piscina forming fourth bay, divided by small shafts with
moulded caps and bases, chamfered jambs with trefoiled heads and carved
spandrels. Two C18 carved stones in south porch and south wall of tower. For
brass indents and monuments and floor slabs see (RCHM).

Pevsner Buildings of England p274
RCHM Huntingdonshire p166
VCH Huntingdonshire p69

Listing NGR: TL0436675445

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527925

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

• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair