Description

ST 68 NW AUST ELBERTON

8/87 Church of St. John 30.3.60 G.V. II*

Parish church. C14 tower, the rest mostly rebuilt in 1858. Snecked rubble, limestone dressings, slate roofs with coped verges and kneelers and decorative finials. Nave, north and south aisles, central tower, chancel, north porch, south vestry entered from chancel. Decorated style tower. West front has 3 gables, 3-light central window, 2-light to each side, all with cusped tracery, hood mould with foliate stops and relieving arch, small central trefoil headed window in similar surround at upper level, plain trefoils to side gables; plinth, weathered string, weathered buttresses, diagonal at corners to all facades. South aisle of 3 bays has three 2-light windows in plain chamfered surrounds, eaves cornice with foliate bosses, north aisle similar with 2-light east window with hood mould, foliate stops and relieving arch and trefoil- headed window above, porch in west bay has pointed arched opening, hood mould with foliate stops, jamb shafts with foliate capitals and rosettes on central order, plain shield in quatrefoil above, 2-light window in plain chamfered surround to each side. East window of south aisle blocked by later C19 gabled vestry in same style. Chancel has 3-light east window as on west front, trefoil headed lancet above in hollow chamfered surround, cross finial, diagonal buttresses with elaborate pinnacles and finials, 2 single light windows to north and one to south, all with foliate stops to hood mould, balustrade above cornice of colonnettes with coping and cast iron ridge coping. Tower has stair turret with slit window to north east, 2-light window with bell louvres and cusped tracery at upper level to all 4 sides, battlements with pinnacles at all corners except turret, ribbed spire with finial and cockerel weathervane. Interior: porch has scissors truss roof, plank door with decorative strap hinges in same surround as outer opening, with foliage replacing rosettes. 2-bay nave has plain piers with bases and foliate capitals, pointed arches, arch-brace scissors truss roof with half shafts of Purbeck marble with foliate capitals and corbels under arch-braces, aisles of 3 bays (up to crossing) have same roof with foliate corbels, all windows in deep splayed reveals. Crossing has higher pointed chamfered arches to east and west, lower to north and south, squints to north and south, small door to north opens to rood stair, with upper door in north side, flat chamfered ribbed ceiling with single leaf carved on each corbel. Chancel has stone carving to east wall below window made up of small squares each with a leaf, all windows have slender jamb shafts of Purbeck marble with foliate capitals as imposts for moulded head, string course below windows, with rosettes at east end, south vestry door in segmental pointed head has foliate stop ending string course to west, 3 bay roof has pierced quatrefoils below cornice, moulded ribs dividing into 9 panels with decorative bosses. Fittings: Norman bowl font, damaged and disused. C16 carved altar table. Pair of C17 carved oak sanctuary chairs in chancel, from Aust church. Jacobean box pew in south aisle with panelling, butterfly hinges and knob finials. Octagonal font and pulpit contemporary with rebuilding. Painted metal endowment board with pointed arch and ivy leaf border for John Hicks 1734, cf Hicks chest tomb (q.v.). Early mediaeval stone coffin in south aisle, found at time of rebuilding in the aisle wall. Early C19 marble monument in south aisle with draped urn, to Thomas Johnson 1829 by Greenway of Bristol and Downend. (Sources: Verey, D. : Buildings of England, Gloucestershire : The Vale and The Forest of Dean 1970; and Batchelor K.B. : The Flowing Tide Tide 1980).

Listing NGR: ST6023488188

External Links

• Wikidata Q17556415

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability