Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 26 July 2022 to remove superfluous source details and reformat the text to current standards

SO 70 SW
1/82

SLIMBRIDGE
ST JOHN'S ROAD (east side)
Church of St John the Evangelist

(formerly listed as Church of St John)

30.6.61

I
Anglican Parish Church. Early C13, but west tower, spire, and chancel late C13, nave aisle windows C15, and clerestory windows 1845 by Francis Niblett. Constructed in fine Cotswold oolite, also much tufa, and plinth to south side plus clerestory walls in marlstone; nave roof stone slates at very low pitch, chancel Welsh slate, north aisle in copper sheet.

West tower with spire, nave, north and south aisles in four bays, deep chancel, two-storey south porch and two storey sacrisy north side of chancel. Nave parapet with pierced interlocking mouchette pattern, south aisle and porch with parapet and ball flower string course with prominent gargoyles. Nave windows three-light perpendicular, chancel two-light decorated and three-light to east end. Good two-leaf plank doors with strap hinges, inner porch doorway round-headed and with continuous trefoil leaf carved surround. Three-stage tower, pinnacles at 45°, open C14 parapet, octagonal spire with lunettes on cardinal faces. West face of tower three-light window flanked by niches linked by drip, over C19 door, at second stage triple niche and various carved shields, above string elongated quatrefoil in rectangular panel above square clock face, two-light C14 baby light. Diagonal buttresses with five offsets plus plinth; stair clamp north-east corner.

Interior: four-bay nave with rich moulded trumpet capitals over keeled shafts, arch-braced roof with traceried trusses, lean-to aisle roofs. Series twelve carbed angels heads in north aisle and sixteen south aisle. Very lofty tower arch, and above this opening with pierced balustrade of C19; octopartite tower vault in stone. Clerestory walls in ashlar, with flat four-centred arches to three-light C19 windows; wall below plastered. In chancel sedilia under stopped string, piscina in south wall and north; pointed barrel plastered ceiling with C19 carved cornice. Some remains of medieval glass in east window, north aisle. Floors quarry tile, C19 pews. Jacobean hexagonal pulpit, oak eagle lectern, lead font bowl of 1664 on stone base, some medieval tiles.

This is a very coherent and important church. David Verey suggests that it is "Probably the best example in the county of the Early Gothic Style of the C13". (Verey, D. p 339)

See also good photographic record of capitals in NMR.

Listing NGR: SO7404003564

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526207

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

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper