Church of Saint John Baptist

Details

PITNEY CP - ST42NW 5/242 Church of St. John Baptist 17.4.59 - II*

Anglican Parish Church. C13 Chancel, C14 tower, rest rebuilt 1853 and 1874. Local lias stone cut and squared, Ham stone dressings, plain clay tile roofs between stepped coped gables with cross finials. Three-cell plan of 2-bay chancel, 4-bay nave and single-bay south transept, with north east vestry, south porch and west tower. Chancel C13, rebuilt 1853: stepped plinth, no buttresses; 3-light east window with reticulated tracery under headstop label, with triangular cusped vent in gable over; south wall has cusped lancet windows, one single and one pair, between which is a pointed arched doorway with label; north wall has two single lancets, and between, the gabled vestry with a 2-light cusped ogee traceried flat arched window. Nave, rebuilt 1874, has bay buttresses with offsets on north side, with C13 style cusped paired lancet windows with quatrefoil over, transitional between plate tracery and reticulation, but all C19: south wall has two 3-light C15 style traceried windows with square-stop arched labels, between them simple porch with cinquefoil cusped outer arch and plain chamfered pointed inner arch. South transept C15 origins; plinth, angled corner buttresses and castellated parapet; 3-light south window with C15 tracery set in hollowed recess probably original, but the east window, 2-light to match, probably C19. Tower of 3 stages, probably all C15, although of earlier proportions; plinth, offset strings, angled corner buttresses 2 stages high, crenellated parapet with corner pinnacles and gargoyles; small square-plan stair turret 2 stages high on north east corner: moulded pointed arched doorway in west wall, with 3-light Curvilinear traceried window with plain label over; other sides plain on both lower stages except small triangular headed window in south face, second stage; third stage has C15 2-light traceried windows without labels, one each face, with pierced stone baffles. Inside the church almost totally C19 in character. Chancel has rib and panel vaulted ceiling, typical later C19 reredos, choir stalls, etc, and a rib-vaulted squint from former south transept. Nave has arch-braced collar and kingpost roof, unplastered walls, and mostly C19 furniture, except for an elaborately decorated pulpit of C17; of tiaber on a stone base, and a lectern with C17 panelling; octagonal font with plain bowl on moulded base with Tudor roses in undercoving, C14/C15, with a cover in C17 style. South Chapel has a moulded rib and panel ceiling. (VCH, vol III, 1974).

Listing NGR: ST4446328502

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

263311

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Somerset, (1974)

End of official list entry

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