Church of St John the Baptist
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1283580
- Date first listed:
- 27-Aug-1957
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St John the Baptist
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH STREET
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-07-23
- Reference:
- IOE01/04663/12
- Rights:
- © Mr Terry Wigley. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1283580
- Date first listed:
- 27-Aug-1957
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St John the Baptist
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH STREET
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.
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.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Fifield
- National Grid Reference:
- SP 23948 18753
Details
FIFIELD CHURCH STREET SP2218-2318 (North side) 18/90 Church of St. John the Baptist 27.8.57 GV II*
Parish church. Early C13 with C14 tower and porch; nave partly rebuilt 1840; restored in 1897 by T. Colcutt who added north vestry. Uncoursed limestone rubble, regularly coursed and dressed to rebuilt south side of nave; slate roofs with stepped coped verges. Nave; chancel; west tower; south porch and north vestry. Tower. Narrow and octagonal in 2 stages with chamfered plinth and string course. Narrow rectangular opening to first stage on west. Belfry has louvred trefoil-headed openings to north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west faces. Contemporary octagonal stone spire with ball finial and later brass weathercock. Datestone at base of spire (not noted at time of resurvey (July 1987) is said to read "1699 IB" and probably refers to a repair at this time). Nave. South side has small early C14 two-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould high up to west. Large C19 two-light Perpendicular-style window to left of porch and C19 four-light Decorated-style window to right. C14 porch is gabled with foliated finial to apex. Massive stone slab roof with projecting central transverse rib. Crenellated sides with weathered carved heads and stepped coped verges to front. Pointed outer doorway of 3 orders with concave hoodmould. North side of nave has 2-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould like that in south wall high up to west. Two-light C19 Perpendicular-style window to right of vestry and C19 four-light Decorated-style window to left. Gabled bellcote with round-headed arch to east gable end. Vestry is flat-roofed and has late Perpendicular-style doorway in west wall and single-light window in north. External lateral stack at junction with nave to east. Chancel. Two pairs of early C13 chamfered lancets with hoodmoulds to south and 2 contemporary chamfered lancets on north. Early C14 three-light east window has reticulated tracery and hoodmould; mutilated foliated cross to gable. Interior. Roof of porch carried on one arched transverse rib. Pointed C14 south doorway has continuous wave-moulding and a concave hoodmould. Early C13 chancel arch is broad, low, pointed and double-chamfered with semi-circular responds, north with nail-tread ornament and south with moulded capital. C19 king-post roof in 4 bays to nave and C19 scissor-braced roof to chancel. Single-chamfered round-headed doorway to tower. Apart from C15 octagonal font with 2 blind trefoil-headed arches to each face fittings and furnishings are late C19 or later. Stained glass. Reassembled fragments in south-west chancel window (formerly in east window) comprise C13 shield of Zouche of Harrington and a shield of Barton quartering the quarterly arms of Radcliffe for John Barton who married Cecilia Radcliffe in 1486: also fragments of C14 foliage designs and 19 late C15 quarries. Further reassembled fragments of C14 stained glass in Perpendicular-style window in north wall of nave. East window 1852 by William Wailes and north-east nave window in memory of Mary Hambridge also 1852 by O'Connor. South-east nave window in memory of Frederick Matthews (d.1911) by Keape/Tower workshop. Monument. Brass plate to Mary Bray (d.1620) and her 9 children on north wall of chancel. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p603) [2534]
Listing NGR: SP2394818753
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 253985
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Sherwood, J, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, (1974), 603
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 18-Jun-2026 at 08:50:28.
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