Description

BELTON MARKET PLACE SK 42 SW 4/10 Church of St John the Baptist 7.12.62 GV II*

Parish church. Mostly C14, with C15 clerestory and alterations to tower. Much restored C19. Random rubble stone with ashlar tower, spire and clerestory. Lead roofs. West tower, nave, aisles, south porch, chancel. In Decorated style. West tower is of 3 stages with tall octagonal spire. Moulded plinth and C15 parapet with crocketed corner finials. Diagonal off-set buttresses with gablets. Spire has 3 tiers of lucarnes, the lower tiers with 2-light tracery, and small east door. Bell-chamber has tall C15 2-light openings with tracery and transoms. Cusped ogee single lights to mid stage; ogee slits to south west stairs; 2-light west window with restored tracery, over small C19 door with Caernarvon arch. Remainder of church has moulded plinths, battlemented para- pets, gabled buttresses and restored window tracery. C15 clerestory is of 4 bays and has 2-light rectangular windows with ogee tracery. North aisle has windows with reticulated tracery, 2-light to north and west, 3-light to east. 2 of the 3 north windows have square heads; others are arched. North door in moulded arch with ogee hood and finial. South aisle has windows with cusped intersecting tracery, 3-light to west, 3 2-light to south, one with square head. East end of aisle has early C16 window with 5 arched lights in shallow arched surround with heraldic tablet above. Medieval board and stud south door in restored double-chamfered arch. C19 gabled south porch with moulded arch and ogee side lights. Chancel has 2-light traceried windows with arched heads in east bay another 2-light window with square head to south, and a cusped ogee light to north. Large C19 east window of 5 traceried lights in 4-centred arch. Small south door in moulded arch with restored hood. INTERIOR is much restored. Tower-arch is triple-chamfered and dies into jambs. Nave has 4-bay arcades of double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded capitals. One capital at SE end has carved figures. Nave retains C15 roof with moulded beams and arch-braces to moulded corbel posts. Carved stone angel corbels are restored. North aisle roof is also C15, with moulded beams and carved head corbels. South aisle has C19-C20 roof, and arched piscina with bowl on pilaster. Moulded chancel arch. C20 chancel roof in C15 style. Aumbry in north wall, triple-arched piscina in south wall. FITTINGS: C15 chancel screen with traceried panels, restored 1894; chair in chancel dated 1781; chest in north aisle dated BELTON 1787 in studs on lid; bowl-shaped font on octagonal base, either C19-C20 or very heavily restored. Other fittings are C19 and include stone pulpit with carved figures in arches, carved stone reredos, and encaustic tiles on east wall. Fine MONUMENT to Roesia de Verdun, dated 1248, foundress of Grace Dieu Priory. Heavily restored and mounted on new base 1912. Recumbent carved effigy, wearing a wimple, with cusped canopy on shafts. Sides of canopy are carved with kneeling figures of nuns and the scene of Christ's baptism. Base also has carved scene, probably that of the 2 Maries at Christ's tomb.

Listing NGR: SK4476920818

External Links

• Church of St John the Baptist at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17542391

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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