Details
HARRINGWORTH SEATON ROAD
SP9197 (East Side)
11/132 Church of St. John the Baptist
23/05/67
GV I
Church. Late C12, C13 and C14, restored 1891. Squared coursed limestone and
lias, with ashlar aisle and spire. Lead and Collyweston slate roofs. Aisled
nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. South elevation of chancel of
2-window range of 2- and 3-light Perpendicular windows with 4-centred
arch-heads. Square-head priests door, to left of centre, and 2-stage buttress to
right of centre. Shallow gabled roof, with plain ashlar parapets. 5-light
Perpendicular east window with panel tracery. Flanking, 2-stage, clasping
buttresses have carved beasts at upper stage. Shallow gable, with finial, above
window. North elevation of chancel is of 2 bays, one-window range, with a
3-light, Perpendicular window, with 4-centred arch-head, to right. 2-stage
buttress to centre. South aisle is limestone ashlar, partly banded with lias. 4
bays, 3-window range. 3-light square-head window to far right. 3-light window,
with reticulated tracery, to right of centre, and similar window to far left.
2-stage gabled buttresses at corners and between bays, to right. Lean-to roof
with ashlar parapet. 2-light east window with reticulated tracery and 2-light
west window with roundel and roll mouldings. Gabled porch, with Collyweston
slate roof, to left of centre. Wide outer doorway with 2-centred arch-head, roll
moulding, nail-head decoration and one order of shafts. Inner doorway has a
2-centre arch-head with roll moulding and a C15 doorway set in the original
opening. This has 4-centred arch-head, decorated spandrels and central deivce,
probably a crown. North aisle of 4 bays, 2-window range of 2-light windows to
left. North doorway, to right of centre, has 2-centred arch-head, roll moulding
and 3 orders of shafts. 2-stage buttresses between bays to left, and right and
at corners. Lean-to roof with ashlar gable parapets. South nave clerestory of
4-window range of 2-light square-head windows with hood moulds and carved label
stops. Shallow gable roof with ashlar parapet and finial. East wall of nave has
outline of earlier chancel roof line. North nave clerestory of 4-window range of
C15 four-light square-head windows with king mullions and arch-head lights. Late
C12 west tower of 3 stages with shallow pilasters at each corner. South-west
corner is the stair turret. All angles have lias dressings. Lancet windows to
west face of lower stage, and south face of second stage. 2-light bell-chamber
openings to each face of upper stage have 2-centred Transitional arch-heads,
with 3 tiers of lucarnes. Interior: 4 bay nave arcade of double-chamfered arches
with octagonal piers and polygonal responds. Similar chancel arch with polygonal
responds. Triple-stepped and single-chamfered tower arch with polygonal and
stepped responds and waterleaf capitals. Nave and aisle roofs have some original
timbers, restored C19. Chancel roof is C19. Trefoil head piscina, to right of
altar, bias remains of triple, ogee-head, sedilia alongside. South aisle has
piscina and triple sedilia, with carved label stops. Staircase access from south
aisle to rood loft. Perpendicular rood screen with one-light divisions and
ribbed coving. Restored Jacobean panelled screen to north aisle vestry. Jacobean
pulpit dated 1605 originally at Barrowden in Leicestershire. Square font, with
trefoil panels at sides, supported on 5 shafts. Stained glass: fragments of
medieval glass in aisle and chancel windows. Late C19/early C20 east windows to
chancel and south aisle. Hatchment in north aisle. Monuments: Tryon family vault
in north aisle forms a raised platform, built in early C18 probably in 2 stages.
Central doorway with flight of steps down and 2 flanking flights of steps up.
Fine iron railings. Wall monument above platform to 4 generations of Tryons,
probably c.1710 has 2 standing cherubs, cherubs heads and garlands with shield
at head. Oval inscribed tablet alongside. William Gardiner, d.1719: inscribed
brass plaque in floor of nave.
(Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p250; RCHM: An Inventory of
Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p81)
Listing NGR: SP9166097444
