Church of Saint John the Baptist, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

Entry Name: Church of Saint John the Baptist

Listing Date: 5 February 1952

Last Amended: 12 December 1985

Grade: I

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1293930

English Heritage Legacy ID: 330764

Location: Knaresborough, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG5

County: North Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Knaresborough

Built-Up Area: Knaresborough

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Knaresborough

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

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Description

SE 3457 KNARESBOROUGH THE PARSONAGE
(north side)

6/190 Church of Saint John the
Baptist (formerly listed
5.2.52 in Vicarage Lane)

GV I

Parish church. Mainly mid C15 with late C12 remains and restoration of
c1870. Coursed, squared limestone, ashlar and gritstone dressings,
graduated Westmorland slate and lead roofs. 4-bay nave with central tower,
aisles continued past the line of former transepts, clerestory and porch at
west end of south aisle; 3-bay chancel with north vestry . Porch: elaborate
C18 wrought-iron fanlight over outer arch; C19 board door in C15 doorway;
stepped buttresses and gable coping. Nave: south aisle: four 3-light
Perpendicular windows with intersecting tracery. Clerestory added C19 with
3-light windows. Prominent stepped buttresses carried up as large crocketed
finials, also restored C19. North aisle has Perpendicular-style 3-light
windows. Chancel: two 3-light Perpendicular windows on south side, and a 2-
light and a 3-light plate tracery window to north. East window of 5 lights
with restored reticulated tracery. Gable copings and cross-finials to nave
and chancel roofs. Tower: 4-stages over former crossing. Roof-line of
former transepts (demolished C15) visible at second stage. Third stage has
clasping buttresses and fibre-glass replica of C18 clock face with motto:
'Redeeming the Time'. Top stage has paired trefoil-headed windows with
hoodmoulds, shallow diagonal buttresses, ashlar coping and corner pinnacles.
Slender lead-covered spire, thought to be early C16. Interior: nave arcades
have tall octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. Triple-chamfered
arches from the crossing to the north and south aisles. The arch in west
side of north aisle chapel (St Edmund's) has Early English nail-head and
dog-tooth decoration, much renewed. The chapel contains crocketed and ogee-
headed sedilia, piscina, tomb-recess or Easter sepulchre and a statue niche.
The Slingsby chapel at the east end of the north aisle contains fine C17 and
later family memorials. Chancel interior restored C19 when the roof was
restored. Fine octagonal C15 font with shields and elaborately-carved font
cover of c1700. A Kellett, The Queen's Church, 1978. N Pevsner,
W Yorkshire, p 294.

Listing NGR: SE3471157186

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