Description

TIXALL

603/19/43 CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
10-JAN-72

II
DATES OF MAIN PHASES, NAME OF ARCHITECT: Parish church of 1849 by Wyatt & Brandon for J.C. Talbot.

MATERIALS: Local Tixall sandstone in regular courses, banded red and grey tile roofs, incorporating arcaded tiles.

PLAN: Nave with lower chancel, north aisle, south porch, north vestry.

EXTERIOR: In simple Decorated style, with steep roofs and gabled west bellcote with a single bell. The nave has 2-light and 1-light south windows, and 2-light west window. The porch entrance has continuous roll mouldings, and single roll mouldings to the nave south doorway. The aisle has a cusped 1-light west window and 3 cusped north windows. The chancel has 3-light geometrical east window and 2 cusped south windows. The low vestry has a lean-to roof.

INTERIOR: The north arcade has octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. The chancel arch, in C13 style, has corbelled stiff-leaf shafts. The nave has a 4-bay arched-brace roof on carved corbels and the chancel has a cradle roof. Windows have moulded rere arches; walls are plastered and the floor has Minton tiles, richer in the chancel, and wood-block floors below benches. In the centre of the nave is a lozenge pattern with encaustic tiles commemorating the building of the church and its patron.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: The octagonal font has a continuous band of foliage around the bowl. Benches have panelled square ends and moulded tops. The stone polygonal pulpit has blind cusped arches with shafts. Stone steps have iron balusters. The heavy wooden communion rails have cusped diagonal bracing. The war-memorial rood beam, brought from Ingestre and cut to fit, was erected in 1921, with limewood figures by Robert Bridgeman & Sons of Lichfield. The principal but low-key memorial on the north wall of the chancel is to John Chetwynd Talbot (d 1852) and Caroline Talbot (d 1876), which are brass plates framed by trefoil arches on shafts. An oval tablet to Simon Wakelin (d 1697) was salvaged from the previous church. Chancel windows are by Bennet & Son of York (1849), patterns with small scenes of the life of St John (east) and of an officiating priest (south). The west window is by William Wailes (1852).

HISTORY: Parish church built in 1849 by T.H. Wyatt (1807-80) and David Brandon (1813-97), architects of London. It was originally intended to incorporate the private mausoleum of John Chetwynd Talbot, at whose expense the church was built in place of a Georgian church. Contractors were Mr Ward of Brocton and Mr Chatfield of Stafford.

SOURCES:
A. Andrews, A History of Tixall, 1995, especially pp 74-91.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire, 1974, p 282.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The church of St John, Tixall, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It is a small rural church of the mid C19 retaining original character and detail.
* It retains a largely unaltered mid C19 interior, including good-quality stained glass.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 25 October 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26549553

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

• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas