St John the Baptist's Church, Wakerley
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Wakerley, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Wakerley
, Northamptonshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It stands in an elevated position overlooking the Welland
Valley.
in 1875 by J. B. Corby. The church was declared redundant on 3 March 1972, and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 6 September 1974.
, with roofs in lead and Collyweston stone slate
. Its plan consists of a four-bay
nave
with a clerestory
, two-bay north and south aisle
s, and a north porch, a chancel
, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with angle buttress
es. In its lowest stage is a two-light west window. In the top stage are pairs of two-light bell openings. Above these is a frieze
and a battlement
ed parapet
. Set back on the tower is an octagonal crocket
ed spire with lucarne
s in two tiers. The south side of the chancel has two two-light windows with a priest's door between them. The east window has five lights and is in Perpendicular style. The east wall of the chancel has a shallow gable
surmounted by a finial
. The south aisle has two two-light windows on its south side and a three-light east window. In the south wall of the nave to the west of the aisle is a two-light window and a blocked doorway. Along the clerestory are three two-light square-headed windows. The windows in the north aisle and on the north side of the clerestory are similar to those in the south aisle. On the west side of the north aisle is a porch.
are of two bays dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel arch dates from the 12th century. It is decorated with chevrons and now has a pointed arch, but this was probably originally round in Norman
style. The capitals
of the arch are "among the highlights of Northamptonshire Romanesque
", and "some of the finest in England". There are also Norman corbel
s in the south aisle and elsewhere in the church. In the chancel is an ogee
-headed piscina
to the right of the altar, and there is another piscina in the south aisle. The font
dates from the late 13th century. The reredos
and the floor of the sanctuary
are composed of 19th-century tiles. The windows of the nave contain 14th-century stained glass and there is stained glass from the following century in the east windows of the aisles. The monuments include a chest tomb to Richard Cecil, the second son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
, dating from about 1633. There are floor tablets in the chancel to sons of the Earls of Exeter.
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 Wakerley
Wakerley
Wakerley is a linear village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire.Forming part of the district of East Northamptonshire, Wakerley is close to, and south of, the River Welland that forms the boundary with Rutland; its nearest neighbour, Barrowden, is in that county and...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-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 I 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...
. It stands in an elevated position overlooking the Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
Valley.
History
The church originated in the 12th century, with additions and alterations in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. It was restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1875 by J. B. Corby. The church was declared redundant on 3 March 1972, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 6 September 1974.
Exterior
St John's is constructed in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, with roofs in lead and Collyweston stone slate
Collyweston stone slate
Collyweston stone slate is a traditional roofing material found in England.It is not a proper slate but a limestone found in narrow beds. The slates are quarried near the village of Collyweston in Northamptonshire, near Stamford and close to the borders of Lincolnshire and Rutland. It is...
. Its plan consists of a four-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
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...
with a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, two-bay north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, and a north porch, a 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...
, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. In its lowest stage is a two-light west window. In the top stage are pairs of two-light bell openings. Above these is a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and a 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 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...
. Set back on the tower is an octagonal crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed spire with lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s in two tiers. The south side of the chancel has two two-light windows with a priest's door between them. The east window has five lights and is in Perpendicular style. The east wall of the chancel has a shallow 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...
surmounted by a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The south aisle has two two-light windows on its south side and a three-light east window. In the south wall of the nave to the west of the aisle is a two-light window and a blocked doorway. Along the clerestory are three two-light square-headed windows. The windows in the north aisle and on the north side of the clerestory are similar to those in the south aisle. On the west side of the north aisle is a porch.
Interior
The arcadesArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are of two bays dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel arch dates from the 12th century. It is decorated with chevrons and now has a pointed arch, but this was probably originally round in Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
style. The capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
of the arch are "among the highlights of Northamptonshire Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
", and "some of the finest in England". There are also Norman corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s in the south aisle and elsewhere in the church. In the chancel is an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-headed piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
to the right of the altar, and there is another piscina in the south aisle. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the late 13th century. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and the floor of the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
are composed of 19th-century tiles. The windows of the nave contain 14th-century stained glass and there is stained glass from the following century in the east windows of the aisles. The monuments include a chest tomb to Richard Cecil, the second son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, dating from about 1633. There are floor tablets in the chancel to sons of the Earls of Exeter.