Description

ALTON C.P. CASTLE HILL ROAD (North-west side) SK 0642-0742 13/5 3/1/67 Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist GV II* Roman Catholic Church circa 1840 by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. Ashlar with edged herringbone tooling; plain tile roof with crested ridge tiles. Perpendicular style; 4-bay nave, 3-bay chancel, north-east oratory, south-east chapel , buttresses at each bay division, diagonal buttresses to each corner. Nave: pointed west doorway with moulded surround and hood mould terminating in foliated stops; 4-centred west window above with wave moulded surround, 2 lights to each side of a central blind arch with nodding ogee over a statue of a bishop, hood mould terminating in heads, a king and a bishop; octagonal bellcote with scaled pointed stone roof surmounted by a cross; square-headed north and south windows of 3 cinquefoil headed lights with sunken spandrels. Chancel: pointed east window of 3 cinquefoil headed lights and Perpendicular tracery, hood mould terminating in angels bearing shields; pointed windows of 2 cinquefoil headed lights with short supermullions above and deeply hollowed surrounds. North-east oratory: North window has trefoil-headed lights; lean-to roof with stone tiles. Interior: sumptuously decorated including much painted decoration. High pointed chancel arch with moulded surround; nave roof has 2 pairs of purlins, a ridge piece and collar with curved struts extending to the principals, 3 tiers of paired curved wind braces; chancel roof has arch braced collars, the braces are moulded and spring from octagonal posts with capitals which stand on corbels carved as angels bearing shields, one pair of purlins and ridge piece, 2 tiers of paired curved windbraces, wall plate and purlins are brattished; oratory to north of chancel entered by a pointed doorway to the west with nook shafts, 4-centred arch to the east; chapel to the south of chancel entered by a 4-centred doorway with panelled spandrels; 4-centred arch to the east matching that on the north side. Fittings: octagonal stone font; pulpit in south- east corner of nave, quarter octagon on corbels; 4 brass chandeliers in nave; benches with elaborate poppy heads and backs decorated with openwork tracery; elaborately carved crucifix suspended over the sanctuary; marble altar of 5 bays, with cusped heads, the central and outer ones slim, the other 2 wide, the central niche contains a figure of the Virgin, the outer niches figures of 2 of the Apostles, the others contain figures of angels; 9-bay alabaster reredos, trefoiled ogee arch niches containing figures, except the central one in front of which the cross stands; niches to each side of the east window, each containing a figure, cusped arches with nodding ogee .iver; piscina to right of altar with trefoil ogee arch. Monuments: grasses to the sixteenth and seventeenth Earls of Shrewsbury died 1852 and 1856, one to each side of the altar. Stained glass good throughout especially the east window by Thomas Willement depicting the Madonna and Child and John the Baptist. Pugin's screen has been removed to the Birmingham Museum. The R.C. Church of St. John the Baptist was built as the chapel to the Hospital of St. John (q.v.) and is attached to its north-western angle; it forms part of an important group of buildings by Pugin built during the l840's for the Sixteenth Earl of Shrewsbury. B.O.E. p. 60.

Listing NGR: SK0736142466

External Links

• Wikidata Q17531942

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