Former Church of St John the Baptist

Details

HEREFORD & WORCESTER SOUTH HEREFS DC 5147

ACONBURY CP - SO 53 SW 5/1 Former Church of St John the Baptist 26.1.67 GV II* Church of convent of Austin or Augustinian nuns or canonesses until 1536, later parish church, now redundant and used as store. Mainly C13 with C14 and C15 alterations. Restored 1863 by Sir G G Scott. Sandstone rubble and dressings with timber-framed porch. Tiled roofs and shingled bell cot with broad spire and copper weather cock: Rectangular plan with four uneven bays and west porch: West elevation has central window of three stepped trefoil- headed lights with fillet moulded heads and jambs in two orders and steeply battered cills. Three quatrefoils in plate tracery under large moulded two- centred arch with moulded label and headstops. To sides of outer lights is a pair of attached columns with foliated capitals. Continuous moulded label above lights but below tracery has foliated stops either side of central tre- foiled head. Above the apex of large outer label is a cowled corbel head. Beneath the cill is a roll-moulded string connecting tops of clasping weathered pilaster buttresses to each corner. Central gabled C15 porch has sandstone plinths and benches: Two structural bays with moulded steeply cambered low pointed ties supported by moulded arch braces with enriched spandrels. East and west arch braces rest on moulded shafts with capitals. Central arch braces rest on a pair of richly carved angels with shields and deeply folded stylised drapery. West spandrels have recessed quatrefoils and mouchettes; east spandrels single central rosettes with tapered acanthus leaves extending into angles. Moulded wall-plates. Single purlins. Alongside each of the C15 ties the trusses of which are missing, is a later cambered tie with raking struts, all roughly chamfered and single pegged, possibly late C17 to C18. Cill beams are restored. Side panels have boarded lower zone and traceried opening upper sections with six lights to each opposing bays The heads of each light are trefoiled with blind spandrels. Tracery is in the form of Ds set back-to-back. North elevation has three windows, the two to the right each have a pair of cinquefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil tracery. To the left in the liturgical chancel is a moulded lancet. Above each window is a two-centred relieving arch. Chamfered string to high plinth. Weathered clasping pilaster-buttress to right extends roughly half-way up the wall. Left corner has diagonal buttress with off-sets. Chamfered stone eaves cornice: Verges with gable crosses. East elevation has window with three pointed stepped lights formed by two central mullions under a two-centred arch. Moulded label with female head stops. Short thick weathered buttress to extreme left. South elevation has two chamfered lancets to right and a small quatrefoil opening beneath, a blocked two-centred arch, probably former high-level doorway to demolished conventual buildings: Chamfered string extends from right-hand side beneath the two lancets and ends roughly in centre: Under the lancets are two chamfered blocked doorways with pointed segmental heads, formerly leading to demolished cloister. Each lancet and each blocked doorway has a corbel to its right-hand side: To the left side of the left-hand doorway is the respond and springer of arch projecting southwards: Clasping buttress to extreme left. West doorway is chamfered with two-centred head and moulded label with remains of enriched stops. Spurs to bottoms of jambs: Interior has C19 panelled pine wagon roof: Walls have contemporary terracotta coloured ashlar lining with small rosettes: South wall has three chamfered two-centred blocked doorways, the westernmost approached down steps: C13 piscina to centre of wall has deeply moulded trefoiled head with fillets and quatrefoil drain. High up in the wall is a square opening to small room behind the external quatre- foil: North wall has tomb recess with broad fillet-moulded two-centred head. Floor slab for Sir Henry Barnard, died 1680, in black marble with achievement set in roundel. Two coffin lids, perhaps C13 with incised crosses set in circles and long stems. Moulded base of C19 octagonal pulpit with steps. At time of re-survey (May 1986) the building contained in storage four fonts, a lectern, desk and pews, as well as a small altar and pulpit: One font, perhaps C14, is sandstone with cyclindrical shaft on circular base and carved underside to octagonal bowls The other fonts are probably all C19. Part of an octagonal oak C19 pulpit with medieval frieze and several pews and benches are from Madeley Church, Shropshire; A small C19 altar is from Yarpole Church, Herefordshire. (BoE, p 62-3; RCHM, Vol I, p 12 - 13).

Listing NGR: SO5167833516

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

155598

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Inventory of Herefordshire I South West, (1931), 12-13
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Herefordshire, (1963), 62-63

End of official list entry

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