Church of St John the Baptist

CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1258304
Date first listed:
10-Jan-1972
List Entry Name:
Church of St John the Baptist
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
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Date:
2005-05-10
Reference:
IOE01/12705/08
Rights:
© Mr Geoffrey R Hood. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1258304
Date first listed:
10-Jan-1972
List Entry Name:
Church of St John the Baptist
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Staffordshire
District:
Stafford (District Authority)
Parish:
Tixall
National Grid Reference:
SJ 97882 22836

Details

TIXALL

603/19/43 CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
10-JAN-72

II
DATES OF MAIN PHASES, NAME OF ARCHITECT: Parish church of 1849 by Wyatt & Brandon for J.C. Talbot.

MATERIALS: Local Tixall sandstone in regular courses, banded red and grey tile roofs, incorporating arcaded tiles.

PLAN: Nave with lower chancel, north aisle, south porch, north vestry.

EXTERIOR: In simple Decorated style, with steep roofs and gabled west bellcote with a single bell. The nave has 2-light and 1-light south windows, and 2-light west window. The porch entrance has continuous roll mouldings, and single roll mouldings to the nave south doorway. The aisle has a cusped 1-light west window and 3 cusped north windows. The chancel has 3-light geometrical east window and 2 cusped south windows. The low vestry has a lean-to roof.

INTERIOR: The north arcade has octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. The chancel arch, in C13 style, has corbelled stiff-leaf shafts. The nave has a 4-bay arched-brace roof on carved corbels and the chancel has a cradle roof. Windows have moulded rere arches; walls are plastered and the floor has Minton tiles, richer in the chancel, and wood-block floors below benches. In the centre of the nave is a lozenge pattern with encaustic tiles commemorating the building of the church and its patron.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: The octagonal font has a continuous band of foliage around the bowl. Benches have panelled square ends and moulded tops. The stone polygonal pulpit has blind cusped arches with shafts. Stone steps have iron balusters. The heavy wooden communion rails have cusped diagonal bracing. The war-memorial rood beam, brought from Ingestre and cut to fit, was erected in 1921, with limewood figures by Robert Bridgeman & Sons of Lichfield. The principal but low-key memorial on the north wall of the chancel is to John Chetwynd Talbot (d 1852) and Caroline Talbot (d 1876), which are brass plates framed by trefoil arches on shafts. An oval tablet to Simon Wakelin (d 1697) was salvaged from the previous church. Chancel windows are by Bennet & Son of York (1849), patterns with small scenes of the life of St John (east) and of an officiating priest (south). The west window is by William Wailes (1852).

HISTORY: Parish church built in 1849 by T.H. Wyatt (1807-80) and David Brandon (1813-97), architects of London. It was originally intended to incorporate the private mausoleum of John Chetwynd Talbot, at whose expense the church was built in place of a Georgian church. Contractors were Mr Ward of Brocton and Mr Chatfield of Stafford.

SOURCES:
A. Andrews, A History of Tixall, 1995, especially pp 74-91.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire, 1974, p 282.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The church of St John, Tixall, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It is a small rural church of the mid C19 retaining original character and detail.
* It retains a largely unaltered mid C19 interior, including good-quality stained glass.


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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
444739
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/13651
War Memorials Online, accessed 25 October 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/221805

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St John the Baptist

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 05:44:28.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.

End of official list entry

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