Church of St John the Baptist, Stockton, Wiltshire

Description

STOCKTON HIGH STREET
ST 93 NE
(south side)
7/125 Church of St John the Baptist
11.9.68
GV I
Anglican parish church. Late C12, C13, early C14, C15 and C17,
1879 restoration. Dressed limestone with some flint chequers, lead
roofs with coped verges, Welsh slate chancel roof. Plan: west
tower, nave with aisles and north porch, chancel with north vestry.
Gabled C19 porch with chamfered pointed doorway, coped verge to
tiled roof. North aisle has cusped ogee-headed lancet to right and
chamfered lancet to west end, lean-to projection to left for
monument within church, plain cornice and parapet, cast-iron
rainwater goods dated 1879, east end of aisle has chamfered planked
C19 door, stepped 3-light C17 window with round-arched lights and
hoodmould. Chancel has segmental pointed north door with C19
ribbed door, diagonal buttresses and C19 plate tracery east window
with C14 mask terminals to hoodmould, heraldic crest and date 1840
over, south side has two C13 lancets. South aisle has C14 two-
light square-headed window with cusped ogee lights to east and west
ends, buttresses with offsets and two 2-light C14 windows to south
side, central 6-panelled door in pointed arch. Two stone memorial
tablets dated 1669 to Melior Benett of Pythouse (q.v. West Tisbury
CP) set in wall, 1622 tablet to Joahne(sic) Maton to left, cornice
to plain parapet. Nave clerestory has three 2-light square-headed
windows with cinquefoil cusping to north and south sides. Three-
stage west tower with pilaster buttresses, C19 pointed south
doorway, C19 west lancet, string course to second stage; pair of
C19 lancets to west and blocked chamfered light to north, rebuilt
bellstage with single lancet with wooden louvres to south, square
chamfered window to north and pair of lancets to west, moulded
string course with corner gargoyles to battlemented parapet.
Interior: Porch has C19 double chamfered pointed inner door, arch-
braced collar-rafter roof. Nave has 3-bay C19. king post roof with
V struts. Three-bay arcades with 2 late C12 double chamfered
pointed arches to west, on cylindrical piers with scalloped
capitals, south ones with beading or zig-zag ornament, early C14
pointed arches to east. Low C13 tower arch on half-piers, lancet
with splayed reveals above,looking into tower. North aisle has
baptistry at west end with mosaic floor and dado in memory of John
Barrington Yeatman died 1893, C12 cylindrical stone font with
scallops and good C17 wooden cover. South aisle has pointed
piscina incorporated into early C17 monument, C19 moulded
compartmental ceiling on stone corbels with Signs of the
Evangelists, restored moulded pointed C14 effigy niche in south
wall containing effigy of a lady on her side. Solid wall between
chancel and nave with central pointed low doorway, flanking
chamfered pointed squints, 1910 wooden screen designed by Bodley,
Garner and Hare and executed by Franklin of Oxford and Bridgeman of
Lichfield, given by the Bishop Worcester of Stockton House (q.v.).
One stone corbel from medieval rood retained to left of chancel
archway. Chancel has C19 plaster ceiling with wooden ribs and one
moulded tie-beam, painted frieze on foliated corbels, polychrome
tiled floor. Fittings: chancel fittings included C19 wooden
communion rail, C19 trefoiled piscina and tiled reredos, C17
communion table, good stained glass in east window to Corfe family,
1885. Nave fittings include C19 wooden pulpit with open arcaded
panels to match communion rails, cast-iron light fittings, 1746
Royal Arms, painted on board, over tower arch. Stained glass in
baptistry and east window of north aisle probably Flemish. South
east aisle window to Richard Nelsome died 1888. Piece of roof
timber on floor of south aisle inscribed with date 1757 and name M.
Fleming to record restoration of roof. Monuments. Fine collection
of C16, C17 and later memorials in aisles. South aisle: Jerome
and Elizabeth Poticary died 1590; two-panelled chest tomb with
strapwork cartouches and balusters, brass plates in moulded
surrounds above. 1708 marble cartouche to Henry Greenhill with
skull, putti, nautical instruments, urn and torch atop with cornice
set into wall above, by either Thomas Davis or Nost. Early C19
classical marbles to Pinchard family. North aisle: Fine
Elizabethan tomb to John Topp of Stockton House, died 1640 with 2-
bay arched recess with strapwork and floral carving, composite
coupled columns and cartouche and obelisk pinnacle over, containing
effigies of man and woman and back panels with kneeling children
and shell hoods. 1664 wall monument to Joannes(sic) Topp with
black Ionic columns and entablature with broken segmental pediment
and heralidic cartouche, good lettering. Gothic-style stone tablet
to Henry Biggs died 1800 and other family members up to Henry
Godolphin Biggs died 1877. White marble cartouche to Alexander
Topp died 1732. Chancel: marble tablet to John Terry, died 1625
and coloured stone cartouche with drapery, dated 1703 on north
wall. Large classical marble tablet with fluted pilasters, shaped
apron and obelisk with urn to Rev David Price died 1771; smaller
tablet to William Pinchard died 1815; C19 Gothic monuments to Rev
Roger St Barbe died 1854 and to Rev Thomas Miles died 1858, by
Osmond of Sarum.
(N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975; Church
Guide)

Listing NGR: ST9819138220

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British Listed Buildings

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Church of St John the Baptist

A Grade I Listed Building in Stockton, Wiltshire

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