Description

WHITTINGTON C.P. CHURCH STREET (east side)
SJ 3231-3331
11/121 Church of St. John the
Baptist
8.10.59
GV II

Parish church. On medieval site with west tower of 1747; nave 1805-6 by Thomas
Harrison of Chester; chancel with north aisle and south vestry 1861; latter
extended 1894 when whole church was restored by Eustace Frere. Red brick
with sandstone dressings; plain tile, machine tile and slate roofs. Classical
style Gothicized by Frere in 1894. Nave; chancel; west tower with flanking
porches; north chancel aisle and south vestry. Tower: in 4 stages with stepped
corner pilasters and string courses; pyramidal roof (1894) with dentilled stone
cornice and wide sprocketed eaves surmounted by brass weathercock. Louvred
round-headed windows to belfry have projecting keybricks and imposts; roundel
with projecting keybricks to third stage on west. Round-headed moulded stone
window to second stage on west has fluted Roman Doric columns (probably 1805-
6); round-headed doorway beneath with alternating bands of rustication and
panelled double doors by Frere. Lean-to hip-roofed porches to left and right
by Harrison have modillioned eaves cornices and round-headed doorways with
contemporary panelled doors and semi-circular fanlights divided by turned baluster-
like bars. Left porch has window of 1894 projecting through roof. Nave:
in 3 recessed bays divided by broad pilaster strips with continuous brick impost
band; moulded brick eaves cornice and low-pitched pedimented gable ends.
Round-headed windows of 1805-6 with projecting keybricks have inserted Venetian
Qua ttrocento-style tracery. Blind wide rectangular openings above with slightly
cambered heads, those on south side formerly with painted texts. 2 similar
openings to east wall. Chancel: possibly incorporating some late C18 brick-
work to east wall has east window of 3 round-headed lights within single larger
semi-circular arch; similar windows to north aisle and vestry, those to latter
slightly more pointed with pointed doorway to west. Interior. Coffered
roof (1894) in single span to nave; contemporary elliptical wooden chancel
arch with Corinthian columns from tie beam, fluted banded rustication to piers
and modillioned eaves cornice; arch-braced roof in 2 bays to chancel. North
chancel aisle,separated from chancel by 2-bay round-arched arcade with Transitional-
style foliage decoration to capital of central circular pier. Early C20 round-
headed arch to west with C18-style turned balusters to gates; black and white
marble floor. Encaustic tiles to chancel. Font 1852; reading desk and lectern
1854; pews 1871. Jacobean chairs flanking high altar and to west end of nave,
which has C17 chest in north-east corner. Late C19 stained glass to north
chancel chapel and dated 1894 to nave north side. Tree of Jesse east window
by F.C. Eden commemorates Edward Pell Edwards, Rector (died 1934). Monuments.
Late C18 and early C19 wall tablets to members of Lovett family (nave, north
side) and other memorials in chancel. Series of C19 brass plates to nave
north side. B.o.E. pp. 316-17; D.H.S. Cranage, The Churches of Shropshire.
Part 9 (1908) pp. 836-7.

Listing NGR: SJ3261031268

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26648884

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.

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