Description

COLSTERWORTH HIGH STREET
SK 9224-9324
(west side)
11/13 Church of
St. John the Baptist
20.9.66
G.V. I
Parish church. C11, mid and late C12, C13, 1305, C14, C15, 1809,
1876 chancel rebuilt by James Fowler of Louth. Ashlar, squared
limestone rubble, lead and slate roofs. Western tower, nave plus
clerestory, aisles, south porch, chancel, north organ chamber and
vestry. The 3 stage ashlar tower of 1305, has wide clasping
stepped buttresses, deep chamfered and bell moulded plinth,
chamfered string course, battlemented parapet with human head
corbel table, panelled and crocketed corner pinnacles, ogee
headed and pinnacled rounded central merlon, angle grotesque
corbels. On the south side the west buttress plinth bears a worn
inscription recording the building of the tower in 1305 by Thomas
Somerby. To each face the belfry has 2 light louvred openings
with cusped heads, quatrefoils over and hood moulds with animal
or human head stops. On the south side above the belfry light an
early C19 clock face, to second stage a narrow pointed blocked
light, the stone beneath the window inscribed with a face, and
above a narrow ogee headed light with plain hood mould. The 2
light west window, recut C19, has Y tracery and hood mould with
debased animal head stops. To either side are incised geometric
consecration crosses. The north side has consecration cross,
incised face and ogee headed light. The squared limestone rubble
and lead roofed north aisle has C15 3 light west window with
panel tracery and hood mould with beast head label stops. The
C13 north doorway in pointed moulded surround with annular angle
shafts has hood mould with human head stops. To the west a 2
light pointed window with C19 tracery and to the east a large
flat headed 3 light window with moulded surround, C19 tracery and
hood. The C15 ashlar clerestory has moulded parapet, 3 two light
windows with trefoil heads to the lights in round headed openings
with hood moulds. The C19 vestry has pointed doorway flanked by
single 2 light openings and a 3 light eastern window. The 1876
chancel, built to commemorate Sir Isaac Newton, has slate roofs
and a 3 light eastern window with beneath a coat of arms set in a
quatrefoil. On the south side are 4 lancets. The coursed
limestone rubble south aisle has late C14 east window with 3 ogee
headed lights, 4 centred head and hood mould. To the east of
the porch a 3 light C14 window and to the west one of 2 lights,
both with flat heads and ogee heads to the lights. The west
window is of 2 lights with Y tracery. The 1809 south porch has
double chamfered outer door with side benches. The C15 inner
doorway has single chamfered 4 centred head and hood mould with
possibly earlier niche over. The clerestory is as the north with
the addition of an ashlar sundial. Interior. The north aisle
arcade is of 3 bays, the stonework above the easternmost 2 bays
is herringbone work, terminating against a line of quoins above a
square pier, possibly indicating the extent of the original C11
church. The 2 bays have semi-circular headed square cut arches,
the easternmost one has lightly incised zigzag decoration,
supported on central squat drum pillar with scalloped capital.
The later C12 westernmost bay has square cut round arch with hood
mould, half round responds with crocketed imposts. The C14 south
nave arcade has quatrefoil filleted piers with annular capitals,
octagonal responds, double chamfered arches with hood moulds and
human head label stops. The early C14 tower arch has 4 chamfers
and hood mould with double octagonal responds and annular
capitals. Above the arch the earlier nave roof pitch can be
seen. The wide C14 chancel arch has double chamfered arch,
octagonal responds, C19 hood mould. In the north aisle wall the
opening to the rood loft stair survives and an aumbry. At the
east end of the north aisle a C19 archway leads to the organ
chamber. The chancel 2 bay north arcade is C19 in C13 style and
the rear of the south wall lancets have angle shafts. The nave
roof has moulded principals and cambered tie beams with large
timber corbels. Fittings. All fittings are C19 including the
mosaic and reredos, except for C17 chest in south aisle. In the
organ chamber a quatrefoil plaque inscribed ET 1806, bearing
Newton's Arms and an inscription in memory of Sir Isaac Newton
of this Parish and on the north wall a plaque in marble with
limestone sundial inset, records that Newton aged 9 years cut
with his penknife this dial, the stone given by C. Turnor, Esq.
The octagonal font has part C15 stem with panels in part bearing
pointed arches containing sacred symbols and floriate designs,
and also C12 billet moulded blank arcading the panels filled with
fleurons and trefoils. The C19 bowl repeats this theme. 2
fragments of Anglo Saxon Cross shafts, one by the chancel arch
bears interlace patterns to all faces.

Listing NGR: SK9302924153

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17532297

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)