Description

1.
5141 BARNACK MAIN STREET
(north side)
Church of St John The
Baptist
TF 0705 34/68 19.3.62
GV
2.
An important church with Saxon work, built of Barnack stone with Collyweston
stone and lead-clad roofs. Saxon nave and tower. Late C12 north chapel and
north aisle. Early C13 south aisle and south porch. Early C14 chancel.
Nave clerestorey has small trefoils to the south and north windows visible
from the inside only, and moulded parapet. North aisle has 2-light Decorated
windows and late C12 north doorway with double-chamfered arch, shafts and waterleaf
capitals. Early C14 widened south aisle has 2-light window with ogee intersecting
tracery and widened cambered arch windows with intersecting tracery. South
doorway with heavily moulded round arch and 3 orders of shafts with stiff-leaf
capitals. Very fine south porch, gabled and with stone roof, moulded 2-centred
arch, 3 orders of columns with stiff-leaf capitals, inside blank arcading
and chamfered ribs to vault. Early C14 chancel has excellent five-light east
window with cusped and gabled lights with finials and crockets. The late C12
north chapel has Perpendicular windows and the south chapel is Perpendicular
and has panelled and pierced battlements and quatrefoil panelled frieze at
base.
The early C11 west tower is the most important feature of the building. The
bottom 2 storeys have long-and-short quoins, lesenes, triangular and round
headed windows, decorative carved slabs and a blocked south doorway with round
arch and block shaped abaci and capitals. The third stage is octagonal with
large round-arched ball-openings of 2-lights triple-shafted jambs and pierced
spandrel, broaches at the corners with large octagonal pinnacles, surmounted
by squat stone spire.
Interior. Saxon tower arch has unusual rounded angle between abaci and capitals.
South arcade has quatrefoil piers and shafts with rings, stiff-lead capitals
and moulded round arches. North arcade has thin window piers with crocket
and volute capitals with small heads, one has a serpent. The north chapel
has double chamfered round arch with waterleaf capital. Depressed tie beam
nave roof with king-posts and arched braces on corbels. C19 painted chancel
roof. C14 chancel arch sedilia and piscina. C13 octagonal front with traceried
arcaded base. Good late Saxon relief carving of Christ in Majesty. Late C15
Annunciation under a canopy in south chapel. C19 stained glass by Marsham
Agles, former rector.
Monuments: North chapel, cross-legged knight; lady of circa 1400.
South aisle, early C16 tomb-chest. Another tomb-chest to one of Walcot family
with quatrefoils in recess with 4-centred arch and top cresting. Monument
to Francis Whitestones and family signed by Thomas Greenway of Derby 1612,
with painted figures of his kneeling family.

Listing NGR: TF0793305060

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St John the Baptist's Church, Barnack at Wikipedia
• St John the Baptist's Church, Barnack official website
• Wikidata Q16822406

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)