St John the Baptist's Church, Wakerley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist's Church, Wakerley
St John the Baptist's Church, Wakerley, from the east
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OS grid reference	SP 956 992
Location	Wakerley, Northamptonshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint John the Baptist
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	23 May 1967
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	15th century
Specifications
Materials	Limestone, roofs in lead and Collyweston stone slate

St John the Baptist's Church is an old Anglican church in the village of Wakerley, Northamptonshire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, but it's kept safe and looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. This church is very special, so it's listed as a Grade I building on the National Heritage List for England. You can find it on a hill, looking over the beautiful Welland Valley.

History of St John's Church

This church first started being built in the 1100s. Over the years, more parts were added and changed in the 1200s, 1300s, and 1400s. In 1875, a person named J. B. Corby helped to fix up and restore the church.

The church stopped being used for regular services on March 3, 1972. Then, on September 6, 1974, it was officially given to the Churches Conservation Trust. This means they now take care of it and make sure it stays in good condition for everyone to see.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St John's Church is made from limestone, a type of stone. Its roofs are covered with lead and special Collyweston stone slate. The church has a main area called a nave with a high row of windows called a clerestory. It also has side sections called aisles, a front porch on the north side, a chancel (the area around the altar), and a tall tower at the west end.

The tower has four main levels and strong corner supports called buttresses. The lowest level has a window with two parts. The very top level has pairs of openings where the church bells would be. Above these openings, there's a decorative band (a frieze) and a wall with square tops (a battlemented parapet). On top of the tower is a tall, pointed spire with small, decorative windows called lucarnes.

On the south side of the chancel, there are two windows, each with two parts. Between them is a special door for the priest. The large window at the east end of the church has five parts and is in a style called Perpendicular Gothic, which means it has lots of straight lines. The east wall of the chancel has a small, pointed roof section called a gable with a decorative top piece called a finial.

The south aisle has two windows on its south side and a three-part window at its east end. On the west side of the nave, near the aisle, there's another two-part window and a doorway that is now blocked up. The high windows in the clerestory are square-shaped and have two parts. The windows in the north aisle and on the north side of the clerestory look similar to those on the south side. There's also a porch on the west side of the north aisle.

Inside the Church

The arched walkways inside the church, called arcades, were built in the 1300s and 1400s. The arch that leads into the chancel is much older, from the 1100s. It has zigzag patterns called chevrons. Even though it's now a pointed arch, it was probably originally a round arch in the Norman style.

The tops of the columns (called capitals) on this arch are very special. They are considered some of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in England. You can also see other Norman stone carvings, called corbels, in the south aisle and other parts of the church.

In the chancel, to the right of the altar, there's a special basin called an ogee-headed piscina, which was used for washing sacred vessels. There's another piscina in the south aisle. The font, where baptisms take place, is from the late 1200s. The decorative screen behind the altar (the reredos) and the floor of the sanctuary (the area around the altar) are made of tiles from the 1800s.

Some of the windows in the nave have beautiful stained glass from the 1300s. The east windows of the aisles have stained glass from the 1400s. You can also see monuments inside the church, including a large stone tomb for Richard Cecil, who was the second son of a famous person named William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. This tomb dates back to about 1633. There are also stone tablets on the floor in the chancel for sons of the Earls of Exeter.

Churchyard Features

In the churchyard, there's a limestone headstone from 1668. This headstone is also a listed building, meaning it's important and protected. There's also a large stone chest tomb from 1766 in the churchyard, which is also a listed building.

Other graves include that of Lady Mary Theresa Montagu Douglas Scott. She was the first wife of David Cecil, who later became the 6th Marquess of Exeter.

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  View from the north

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  North doorway

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  Norman carving on capital

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  Grave of Maria Theresa Burghley, first wife of David Cecil, Lord Burghley

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands