Church of St John the Baptist

Details

CHERINGTON CHURCH LANE SP2936 (East side) 8/24 Church of St. John the Baptist 13/10/66 (Formerly listed as Parish church of St. John the Baptist)

GV I

Church. C13, with C14, C15 and C18 alterations and additions. Restored C16 or C17, late C19 and early C20. Coursed limestone rubble with quoins and ashlar parapet to nave. Asbestos-tile roof to chancel. Chancel, nave with north aisle and west tower. Late C13, or rebuilt late C13 chancel of 2 bays with crude plinth to south, and coped gable to east. Late C13 window to east of 3 lancets, with a re-used early C13 carved head at the apex of the window. Hood mould with C13 carved head labels. To south a restored many-moulded priest's doorway with hood mould and carved head labels. C19 plank door. To left and right a restored square-headed window each of 2 lights. Hood mould and carved foliage labels. To north a large single trefoiled light, the external masonary restored C16 or C17. To right an early C20 stone lean-to organ recess with single trefoiled light. Early C13 nave with late C13 north aisle. 3 bays, with some quoins and C18 moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet with obelisk pinnacles. Coped gable to east. To south a C14 gabled porch with rough plinth and, to east, a simple square-headed chamfered light. Chamfered doorway. Sundial scratched just below to west. C13 south doorway with part-restored edge-roll moulding forming a semi-circular head. Reset stone to east has scratched 'mass dial'. To left of porch a C13 window of 3 stepped lancets with chamfered surround and plain hood mould. To right of porch a large window of c.1500. Four ogee-headed cusped lights with mouchette tracery and hollow-chamfered mullions within a hollow-chamfered, square-headed surround with hood mould and labels. This window breaks into the C15 clerestory. To left, centre-left and centre-right a C15 square-headed window of cusped lights. To right, above window of c.1500, a shortened and raised square-headed window, probably altered late C19, with 2 cusped lights. To east of north aisle a late C13 restored window of 3 stepped lancets with hood mould. To left, centre-left and centre-right of north wall a 2-light window of Y-tracery, perhaps of C18 date, that to centre-right in place of blocked north doorway. To right, and to west, a C13 single chamfered lancet. West tower of 2 stages, the first of C13, with chamfered plinth and C15 diagonal offset buttresses. C15 moulded string course marks beginnning of C15 second stage, with further string course below bell-chamber windows. C15 moulded eaves cornice with worn gargoyles, below a C18 restored embattled parapet with obelisk finials. C17 west doorway with chamfered square head and plank door. Plain rectangular light above. Rising from first stage to bell-chamber are 4 loops. To south of first stage a further rectangular light. Bell-chamber openings each of 2 ogee-headed lights with quatrefoil. Hood mould and carved head labels. Interior: east window of chancel has original C13 splays and rere-arch. To south a C13 cusped and chamfered piscina. Early C16 chancel arch of 2 chamfered orders. C13 window in south wall of nave has chamfered rere-arch. To west a C13 doorway. Late C13 two-bay north aisle arcade. Single octagonal pier with corresponding responds supporting double-chamfered arches. Chancel roof restored early C20, re-using some chamfered and cambered tie beams, and supported on original moulded stone corbels, Restored C15 nave roof with moulded tie beam, braces and posts. Roof is supported on C15 corbels of carved beast and human heads, Restored C15 north aisle roof with moulded tie beams. C16 and C17 stained glass in north chancel windows. C14 representation of St. John the Evangelist in east window of north aisle, with further C15 and later pieces. Further later glass in north windows. C16 fragments in south window of c.1500. Between north arcade, east respond and east nave wall an early C14 tomb. To either side an arcade of ogee-headed cusped niches with crocketed finials and poppy heads, with piscina inserted on north face. Tomb supports an effigy of a man in secular clothing, hooded, but showing the man's curled hair. His head is supported by decapitated angels and he rests his feet on a recumbent dog. Above a depressed ogee-arch, cusped and richly carved to south with foliage and flanked to left by a crocketed pinnacle supported by a female crowned head. Arch is plain to north. In south chancel wall a C17 wall tablet, the inscription worn, with deeply carved surround. 3 further wall tablets of C19 and C20 date. (V.C.H.: Warwickshire, Vol.5, pp.39-41; Buildings of England: Warwickshire, pp.229-230).

Listing NGR: SP2916636584

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

305959

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Doubleday, AH, Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Warwick, (1949), 39-41
Pevsner, N, Wedgwood, A, The Buildings of England: Warwickshire, (1966), 229-230

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.