Church of St John the Baptist

Details

SU 15 NE
13/74

PEWSEY
CHURCH STREET (south side)
Church of St. John the Baptist

27.5.64

I
Anglican parish church. C13, C14, C15 and 1861 by G.E Street, restoration of 1889-90 by C.E Ponting. Flint and sarsen with limestone dressings. Nave and south aisle founded on large undressed sarsens. Tower ashlar. Roofs of lead, south aisle and porch of copper and chancel chapels of patterned coloured slate. Nave with north and south aisles. North porch, west tower.

Chancel with south chapel and north organ chamber with vestry. North porch of 1889, moulded door with quatrefoil spandrels within flanking stone frame. Crenellated gable, pinnacles and gargoyles, and niche with figure of St John. Windows late C13 lancets to chancel and reticulated east window. Two and three-light square headed windows to aisles and clerestorey, much restored. South chapel reused late C13-early C14 windows from chancel. Moulded doors to chapels. Tower of three stages, angle buttresses and two-light bell openings, crenellated parapet and crocketed pinnacles. Large five-light west window and moulded door under.

Interior: early C13 arcade of four uneven chamfered pointed arches and flat soffits pierced through earlier walls leaving square piers. Roof of five bays, C19 open rafters with tie beams and brackets to purlins. Door to rood screen. Interesting C19 murals of angels on interlaced background by Canon Bouverie, now covered over. Chancel arch tripartite, with round capitals and double chamfered arch. Through squint from south aisle. Chancel of four bays, with C19 open roof. Windows have depressed two-centred rere-arches and nook shafts. Bold trefoiled C13 piscina and double arched sedilia. Opening to north organ chamber and door to vestry with heating chamber below. Roof of timbers from Ivychurch Priory refectory. South chapel added 1861 by Street, extending aisle. Two arches on column to chancel. Tall tower arch and fan vault on corner shafts supporting ringing chamber. Floor raised by four steps. South aisle has cinquefoiled piscina.

Fittings: font under tower, C12 limestone bowl on five columns, restored, and fine suspended font cover of open carved oak by Canon Bernard Pleydell Bouverie commemorating Indian campaigns. Chancel fittings by Street, fully Tractarian, with carved font on stone base, lectern, choir stalls with boxes for hymnals and five steps to carved altar table, also by Canon Pleydell Bouverie, and carved reredos with painted panels. Glazed screen to south chapel. Elaborate carved chancel screen with rood loft now removed to choir vestry in north aisle. Organ of 1897 by Griffen and Stroud. Screen to organ chamber also C19, carved in relief. South chapel has inlaid alabaster reredos with central roundel of white marble depicting heads in deposition scene.

Monuments: in chancel, small foliated relief canopy in frame, set in wall. Three wall tablets, two to Pleydell Bouverie family and one of 1816, white marble on grey fields, books of learning and chalice on bracketed mantel, to Rev Joseph Townsend, Geologist and Rector, by Westmacott. Also two C19 brasses

In south chapel, wall monument, C17, oval slate panel in deeply carved and painted strapwork surround, to Katherine Harding, wife of Groom of Bedchamber to Charles II, died in Holland 1645. In south aisle, seven wall tablets, including a pair of oval inlaid marble monuments with crests, to Robert Hopper, died 1782, and William Hopper, died 1791, and relations. Also limestone aedicule with broken pediment, to Richard Hopper, died 1766, and marble panel with crested pediment to Henry Deacon of Oare House (q.v.) wine merchant, died 1757, and sister. Three early C19 tablets to Charlotte Clapton, 1828, by Harrison of Buckingham, and William Winter, by Wood of Bristol, 1824.

In north aisle, 13 wall monuments of late C18-mid C19, and one monument in organ chamber, urn on coloured field, to Briant Chandler, died 1823.

The Rev F. Pleydell Bouverie, rector 1816-1857 was from Oriel College and was connected with the Oxford Movement.

Listing NGR: SU1636959895

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

311705

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1963)

End of official list entry

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