St John the Baptist's Church, Stanton
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Stanton, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Stanton
, Suffolk
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. Only the tower is intact, the body of the church being roofless. The remains of the church stand to the west of the village.
was united with the adjacent parish of All Saints in 1756, and St John's became derelict and roofless. The church was repaired in the 1980s, raising the walls of the nave
and chancel
to their full height.
and some red brick, with freestone
dressings. Parts of the walls are rendered
. Its plan consists of a three-bay
nave, a chancel, a south porch and a west tower. The tower is in four stages. Its west wall is built against the boundary of the churchyard and the lowest stage is open, providing a way for processions around the church. There are diagonal buttress
es at the west end, and a stair turret
at the southeast angle. In the top stage are two-light bell openings. The parapet
is battlement
ed, and decorated with chequerwork. The nave has 13th-century doorways and two two-light windows in both north and south walls. The porch dates from the 14th century. It was originally gable
d, and has a blocked niche
above its doorway. The chancel has a two-light window in each of the north, south and east walls.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Stanton
Stanton, Suffolk
Stanton is village situated in north Suffolk, about nine miles north-east of Bury St. Edmunds, on the A143 road to Diss. Close to the village lies the former WW II airfield RAF Shepherds Grove, where American forces were based. One of the main landmarks in the village is the fine restored windmill...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. Only the tower is intact, the body of the church being roofless. The remains of the church stand to the west of the village.
History
The church dates from the 14th century, with additions and alterations during the following century. It was restored in 1616. Its parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
was united with the adjacent parish of All Saints in 1756, and St John's became derelict and roofless. The church was repaired in the 1980s, raising the walls of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
to their full height.
Architecture
St John's is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and some red brick, with freestone
Freestone
A freestone is a stone used in masonry for molding, tracery and other replication work required to be worked with the chisel. The freestone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is...
dressings. Parts of the walls are rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. Its plan consists of a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave, a chancel, a south porch and a west tower. The tower is in four stages. Its west wall is built against the boundary of the churchyard and the lowest stage is open, providing a way for processions around the church. There are diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es at the west end, and a stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
at the southeast angle. In the top stage are two-light bell openings. The parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed, and decorated with chequerwork. The nave has 13th-century doorways and two two-light windows in both north and south walls. The porch dates from the 14th century. It was originally gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d, and has a blocked niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
above its doorway. The chancel has a two-light window in each of the north, south and east walls.