Description

SU 26 NW MILDENHALL CHURCH LANE

6/145 Church of St. John the Baptist

22.8.66

GV I

Anglican parish church. c10, c1200, 1816 and restored 1876.
Rendered flint with limestone ashlar. Lead roofs. Nave and aisles,
chancel. West tower and south porch. South aisle has lancet with
round hoodmould, other nave and aisle windows C15 square headed 3-
cinquefoil lights and 1 and 2-lights to clerestory. Chancel and
north aisle also have C15 pointed 2-cinquefoil lights. Tower of 3
stages, the lowest stage C9-C10 with angle and clasped west
buttresses. 3rd stage with crenellated parapet and pierced
transennae. Below on north and south, Anglo-Saxon 2-light square
headed openings. West door with simple keeled moulding. C18-C19
part rebuilding of south aisle and south porch added, also 1
clerestory window and window over west door added 1816, both round
headed without tracery. Sundial on south west tower buttress and
triangular headed slit light, now blocked on south side of tower.
Interior: Nave of 3 bays, round arches of 2 unchamfered orders on
scalloped capitals, one with Adam and Eve to south arcade, north
arcade with round capitals. High openings probably of rood screen
east of eastern imposts. Pointed chancel arch of 2 chamfered
orders on scalloped corbels, one with carved head. Roof of 4 bays,
cambered moulded tie beams with central pendants bracketed to wall
posts on stone corbels. Ties carry moulded king posts and struts
to low pitched principals, also with pendents. Chancel of 2 bays
with fine depressed panelled plaster ceiling on moulded cornice.
Priest's door to south wall. Fittings: Outstanding and largely
complete fittings of 1816, including box pews, wall dado with
carved leaf frieze, high reader's desk and lectern either side of
chancel arch approached by steps from chancel and having tall
backboards and sounders. In chancel choir pews, also highly carved
but in Gothic design, the dado panelling extending to east end and
returning with Paternoster boards and rising to openwork ogee
baldacchino on quatrefoil riddel posts. Communion rails of close
spaced turned balusters with applied trefoiled tops, the rail being
slightly depressed at the centre. West gallery in nave, 1821, with
concave panelled front carrying organ. Font, c1816 shallow
octagonal bowl on a tall stem, limestone, with carved oak cover
and iron point for suspension from soffite of gallery. Glass:
East window with fragments of C14 - C15 yellow stained glass, a
bishop with crozier, and sun and crowns in foils of window. North
aisle with a Raising of Lazarus by Mayer & Co of Munich. Royal
Arms of George III over chancel arch. 3 hatchments, and 4 painted
shields on corbel posts. At rear under gallery: 6 shields
commemmorating benefactors of refitting of 1816 and 2 institution
boards. Monuments: Chancel: Marble wall tablets, STEPHEN HYDE,
1697, arms on broken pediment, fluted bell below inscription.
EDWARD POCOCK 1726, pilasters with segmental cornice. Reverend
RICHARD POCOCK, 1787, variegated marbles with crest swept up to urn
and pinecone finial. Reverend CHARLES SOAMES, 1894. Reverend
GORDON SOAMES, 1935. Reverend GEORGE BUXTON 1881, draped urn and
tablet on black marble field, by Gaffin of London. THOMAS
BASKERVILLE and family, triple Gothic ogee niches with palm trees
in relief, by J. Harris of Bath, sculptor to Queen Caroline.
Reverend CHARLES FRANCIS, 1821 white marble Gothic openwork and
niche with palm trees, also by Harris of Bath. EDWARD COURTMAN,
1979, oval slate panel, and SIR GEORGE WALKER, 1724 black marble
oval. North Aisle: General JOHN CACCRAFT by Harris of Bath,
simple white sarcophagus, HENRY WOODMAN and family 1823, draped urn
over panel, by Harrison of Marlborough. SAMUEL WINDSOR, 1893 Lily
on sarcophagus, WILLIAM YOUNG, 1832 Tudor panel by Harrison. ISAAC
WHITE,- 1806 Crested panel. WILLIAM YOUNG and wife, 1939 and in
broom cupboard, WILLIAM BAKER, 1729 painted limestone with putto
in pediment. South Aisle: War Memorial of black and white
marbles. WILLIAM JONES, 1922. Furniture: 5 red leather kneelers
for communion rail, 1797. Painting of seated Charles I with garter
on cloak and tasselled noose. Reference: Pevsner, (Buildings of
England: Wiltshire).

Listing NGR: SU2099369476

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 25 October 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17530107

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)