Description

FIFIELD CHURCH STREET SP2218-2318 (North side) 18/90 Church of St. John the Baptist 27.8.57 GV II*

Parish church. Early C13 with C14 tower and porch; nave partly rebuilt 1840; restored in 1897 by T. Colcutt who added north vestry. Uncoursed limestone rubble, regularly coursed and dressed to rebuilt south side of nave; slate roofs with stepped coped verges. Nave; chancel; west tower; south porch and north vestry. Tower. Narrow and octagonal in 2 stages with chamfered plinth and string course. Narrow rectangular opening to first stage on west. Belfry has louvred trefoil-headed openings to north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west faces. Contemporary octagonal stone spire with ball finial and later brass weathercock. Datestone at base of spire (not noted at time of resurvey (July 1987) is said to read "1699 IB" and probably refers to a repair at this time). Nave. South side has small early C14 two-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould high up to west. Large C19 two-light Perpendicular-style window to left of porch and C19 four-light Decorated-style window to right. C14 porch is gabled with foliated finial to apex. Massive stone slab roof with projecting central transverse rib. Crenellated sides with weathered carved heads and stepped coped verges to front. Pointed outer doorway of 3 orders with concave hoodmould. North side of nave has 2-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould like that in south wall high up to west. Two-light C19 Perpendicular-style window to right of vestry and C19 four-light Decorated-style window to left. Gabled bellcote with round-headed arch to east gable end. Vestry is flat-roofed and has late Perpendicular-style doorway in west wall and single-light window in north. External lateral stack at junction with nave to east. Chancel. Two pairs of early C13 chamfered lancets with hoodmoulds to south and 2 contemporary chamfered lancets on north. Early C14 three-light east window has reticulated tracery and hoodmould; mutilated foliated cross to gable. Interior. Roof of porch carried on one arched transverse rib. Pointed C14 south doorway has continuous wave-moulding and a concave hoodmould. Early C13 chancel arch is broad, low, pointed and double-chamfered with semi-circular responds, north with nail-tread ornament and south with moulded capital. C19 king-post roof in 4 bays to nave and C19 scissor-braced roof to chancel. Single-chamfered round-headed doorway to tower. Apart from C15 octagonal font with 2 blind trefoil-headed arches to each face fittings and furnishings are late C19 or later. Stained glass. Reassembled fragments in south-west chancel window (formerly in east window) comprise C13 shield of Zouche of Harrington and a shield of Barton quartering the quarterly arms of Radcliffe for John Barton who married Cecilia Radcliffe in 1486: also fragments of C14 foliage designs and 19 late C15 quarries. Further reassembled fragments of C14 stained glass in Perpendicular-style window in north wall of nave. East window 1852 by William Wailes and north-east nave window in memory of Mary Hambridge also 1852 by O'Connor. South-east nave window in memory of Frederick Matthews (d.1911) by Keape/Tower workshop. Monument. Brass plate to Mary Bray (d.1620) and her 9 children on north wall of chancel. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p603) [2534]

Listing NGR: SP2394818753

External Links

• Wikidata Q17532947

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