Description

HORRABRIDGE STATION ROAD, Horrabridge
SX 56 NW
10/12 Church of St John the Baptist
-
GV II*

Parish church. 1893 with porch dated, 1913, by Fellowes Prynne. Snecked greenstone,
limestone dressings, slate roofs with raised coped verges and crestings, cross
finials to nave and chancel. West porch, nave, north and south aisles, chancel with
north vestry and south organ chamber.
Nave and chancel in one has a tall fleche with lead broached base and finial over the
crossing with the north and south transept; the roof of the nave is swept down over
the aisles, which are shorter than the nave, wooden bellcote and clock. West gable
end of nave has two 2-light windows with cusped lights, quatrefoil in tracery and
hood-mould, 2-light flat-headed window with cusped heads and hood-mould to north and
south; weathered diagonal buttresses, plinth. Flat-roofed porch has central bay
broken forward with 4-centred arched opening, hood-mould with uncut stops, angle
buttresses with undercut mouldings, string course and brattished parapet stepped up
at centre of lantern and cross.
4-bay north aisle has continuous pitch of roof to nave, west porch with door with
shouldered head, weathered diagonal buttresses, windows under eaves, outer ones 3-
light, inner ones 2-light, all with cusped heads, flat heads and chamfered surrounds;
external stair with half-arch below, leading.to upper door to north vestry; plinth.
South aisle has west door and 2 windows to left, as on north aisle, gabled south
chapel has 3-light Perpendicular style window with pointed arch, 2 straight mullions
and upper tracery, hoomould and stops with carved flowers. Chancel has 3-light east
window with 4-centred arch, mullions and brattished transom, cusped heads and upper
tracery with central quatrefoil, hood-mould with stops with carved flowers, lancet
above, diagonal buttresses and central low weathered buttress with foundation stone;
3-light window to north and south under eaves as on aisles, plinth. Gabled north
vestry has at lower level two 2-light 2-centred arched windows, at upper ground level
a 3-light Perpendicular style window with lancet above, cross finial and buttresses;
single cusped lancet to east, upper west door with shouldered head, lower ground
level plain door in chamfered surround. Gabled south organ chamber has 3-light
south window as on south chapel, buttress and diagonal buttress.
Interior: porch has 2-centred arched inner opening with 2 moulded orders to
surround, hood-mould with mask stops, half-glazed double doors; recess right and left
with cusped stone tracery heads, ceiled. Nave has segmental head to west door with 2
chamfered orders, stepped cill string above, chamfered heads to windows; 2-bay north
and south arcades with wide 4-centred arches, 2 wave mouldings, continuous hood-mould
with ballflower stops, octagonal piers; roof of common rafters, collars and scissors
trusses, one row of purlins; octagonal stone pulpit base on cylindrical stem attached
at base of north east pier with wrought iron top. North aisle has windows with
segmental rere-arches, 2-light windows with pointed segmental rere-arches, south
aisle has 2 bays to west door and half-arch to east leading to organ chamber and
vestry. North aisle has pitched roof with common rafters and one row of purlins, one
collar from a corbel on pier of north arcade, south aisle has double-chamfered half-
arch rising to pier of south arcade, roof pitched to west, separate roof over chapel
bays of common rafters, collars and one row of purlins. Chancel arch formed by
moulded pilaster north and south with panelled wooden soffit with quatrefoils in
panels, painted and brattished rood beam and cross, ceiled wagon roof of 4 bays with
moulded and painted principals; wide 4-centred double-chamfered arch north and south,
sedilia and Perpendicular style piscina to south, aumbry with door and strap hinges
to north, north cill sting with ballflower stops, moulded east cill string; vestry
and organ chamber have ceiled roofs.
Fittings: Octagonal stone font in nave with carved sides on octagonal stem, coloured
marble colonnettes; fine set of choir stalls with bench ends carved with variety of
foliage and flowers, pews of half-scissors truss design; pair of large gilded candle
holders in chancel on square pedestals; carved wooden panelled reredos with figures
of the saints; mid C20 glass in windows of chancel and south aisle.
(Sources: Pevsner, N : Buildings of England: South Devon 1952).

Listing NGR: SX5123869670

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537458

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)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living