Description

MORTON STATION ROAD
TF 0824-0924
(north side)
9/167 Church of
30.10.68 St. John the Baptist
G.V. I

Parish church. Mid C12, late C12, late C13, c.1300, C14, C15,
restored 1860. Limestone ashlar, coursed ironstone rubble, some
render. Lead and plain tile roofs with stone coped gables with
cross finials. West porch, nave with north and south aisles,
crossing tower and chancel. Mid C15 gabled west porch with
moulded plinth and pointed west doorway with moulded head of 2
orders, triple rolled jambs with filleted central rolls, hood
mould and head label stops. North and south sides of porch, each
with a pair of unglazed windows with flattened triangular heads,
2 cusped, pointed lights with panel tracery. Moulded eaves.
Porch interior with flanking stone benches. To the east of the
windows on each side is a single, full length ogee headed blind
traceried panel. Slender roll mouldings flanking windows run
below to level of benches. Late C13 interior west doorway with
pointed head,continuous, richly moulded surround and fine C14
door with 6 pointed blind traceried cusped lights, panel tracery
and central small ogee headed wicket door. C15 west front
defined by 4 stage buttresses and clasped by C15 north and south
aisles with moulded plinth and string courses, 3 stage angle
buttresses with upper gabled set offs. Large pointed window
above porch with 4 ogee headed, cusped lights, castellated
transom, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. West
fronts of north and south aisles each with a single pointed
window, 3 cusped, ogee headed lights, panel tracery and head and
animal label stops. North side of north aisle with moulded
plinth and string courses and regularly placed 3 stage buttresses
with upper gabled set-offs. Pointed window to west with pointed
head, richly moulded surround, 3 cusped ogee headed lights, panel
tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Doorway to east with
pointed head, continuous richly moulded surround, hood mould,
head label stops and panelled door. 2 windows to east, both
with pointed heads, richly moulded surround, 3 cusped ogee headed
lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Broader
window beyond with flattened triangular head, richly moulded
surround, 4 cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould
and head label stops. East end of aisle with single pointed
window, richly moulded surround, 3 ogee headed, cusped lights,
panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. C15 clerestory
above with 4 windows with flattened triangular heads, 2 cusped
ogee headed lights and hood moulds running into string courses.
Moulded eaves above. Mid C14 crossing tower raised in C15 with
narrow angle buttresses. West side with ogee headed doorway with
ogee shaped hood mould and plank door. Clock above. North side
with pointed window with 2 cusped pointed lights with quatrefoil
and hood mould running into string course on either side. 2
pointed cusped lights, one above the other, above. East side
with 2 similar windows, one above the other. South side with
polygonal stair turret with 4 steps leading up to doorway with 4
centred head and plank door, with 3 slit lights above. Window to
left with pointed head, 2 cusped pointed lights, quatrefoil and
hood mould. 2 pointed cusped lights, one above the other, above.
Bell openings on all 4 sides, each a pair of tall narrow pointed
lights, each in turn divided into 2 pointed cusped lights with 2
transoms, hood moulds. Moulded eaves with gargoyle heads,
battlements above and ornate pinnacles. Late C12 chancel
remodelled in C14 and heavily restored in C19. Ironstone and
limestone banded walls with 3 pointed windows alternating with 2
stage buttresses, each with 2 pointed, cusped lights, flowing
tracery including a large cusped ogee, and hood mould. East end
with 2 stage squat angle buttress and C19 pointed window with 4
cusped, ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head
label stops. South side of chancel with 3 pointed windows
alternating with 2 stage buttresses, each with 2 cusped, ogee
headed lights, eccentric C19 tracery and hood moulds. Mid C12
doorway to west with round head, imposts, chamfered jambs, hood
mould and plank door. Early C14 south transept remodelled in C15
with ironstone rubble east side, and narrow 2 stage buttresses
flanking C15 window with segmental head, 4 cusped ogee headed
lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. South
side with C13 doorway to east, heavily restored in C19, with ogee
shaped head, continuous chamfered surround and plank door. Large
pointed window of c.1300 with 3 pointed, cusped lights and 3
cusped curved triangles above, hood mould and crude head label
stops. West side with moulded plinth and string courses with C15
window with triangular head, 2 cusped, ogee headed lights, panel
tracery, hood mould and head label stops. South side of mid C15
nave with moulded plinth and string courses and regularly placed
3 stage buttresses with upper gabled set offs. 2 windows to east
and single window to west of doorway, all the windows with
pointed heads, richly moulded surrounds, 3 cusped ogee headed
lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Doorway
with pointed head, richly moulded continuous surround, hood
mould, head label stops and plank door. C15 clerestory above
with 4 windows with flattened triangular heads, 2 cusped, ogee
headed lights and hood moulds running into string course.
Moulded eaves above. Interior with late C13 4 bay north arcade
with filleted quatrefoil piers with very rich naturalistic
foliate capitals, double chamfered, pointed heads with hood
moulds and heads in spandrels. Early C13 south arcade with
polygonal responds and piers with polygonal capitals, that to
west with band of chip star; double chamfered pointed heads,
hood moulds with heads in spandrels. Mid C14 crossing tower
arches, that to west, taller, all with richly moulded, filleted
pointed heads running continuously into jambs. Single slender
rolls in each corner of tower rise to support C15 cusped fan
vault with central oculus. Clerestory windows set above north
and south transept arches with blind opening with flattened
triangular head inside tower above east arch. Late C13 arch
leading from north aisle to south transept with pointed double
chamfered head, triple rolled jambs with rich foliate capitals
and filled with C19 screen. North transept with C15 aumbry in
north wall with crocketed ogee shaped head and C15 wooden, ogee
headed door. Late C13 south transept arch leading from south
aisle with pointed, double chamfered head, triple rolled jambs
with rich foliate capitals, and filled with C19 screen. South
transept with doorway in south east crossing pier, facing west,
with four centred head, continuous chamfered surround, hood mould
and plank doorl. Eastern crossing arch with low flanking stone
sections of screen no longer extant with blind traceried panels
and upper C19 castellations. Chancel with late C13 sedilia re-
set in C19 with 3 pointed cusped arches and slender free standing
shafts with moulded capitals. Pointed C19 piscina to east. C15
font with 3 stepped octagonal plinth, octagonal pedestal,
octagonal bowl with shields containing emblems of the Passion,
set under richly cusped ogee heads with finials and ornate
pinnacles. C19 chancel roof. C15 tie beam nave roof with curved
braces, ornate foliate bosses and stone corbel figures. C19
altar rail, pews, choir stalls, altars, reredos and lectern.
Single pink and cream marble monument to the Parker family,
c.1833.

Listing NGR: TF0982624010

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17531849

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)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)