St John the Baptist's Church, Hellington
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Hellington, is a redundant
Anglican
church standing to the south of the village of Hellington
, Norfolk
, England). It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
and brick with limestone
dressings. The roofs of the nave
and chancel
are slate
d, and the porch roof is tiled. Its plan is simple, consisting of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is round and dates from the 12th century. The two-light bell openings were inserted in the 14th century. The parapet
is from a later date, and is embattled
. The south porch was added in the 14th century, and has been much patched and repaired since. On each side of the entrance are diagonally-set niches
, and there are the remains of another niche in the gable
above the entrance. On the west and east sides of the porch are three open arches. The south doorway is Norman
in style with a round-headed arch. It is "very elaborate". The arch is carried on three orders of shafts, with capitals
decorated with scallops and volute
s. The arch also has three orders, decorated with fillets
between them. The windows in the nave and chancel date from the 14th century and contain a variety of Decorated motifs. The east window has five lights and, above it, the gable carries a cross. In the north wall of the nave is a two-light square-headed window, and a Norman doorway with two orders of shafts. The north wall of the chancel, which has been re-built in brick, is supported by pilaster
-buttress
es, and a larger buttress at the southeast corner.
with two arches. There are some fragments of medieval
glass in the south chancel window. The font
is octagonal, its bowl being decorated with quatrefoil panels. The stained glass in the east window dates from the middle of the 19th century, and was made by J. and J. King of Norwich
.
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 standing to the south of the village of Hellington
Hellington
Hellington is a small village in the county of Norfolk, England. In the 2001 census it contained 24 households and a population of 69.It is centred around a crossroads ½ mile south of Rockland St. Mary and around 6½ miles southeast of Norwich. The road north leads to Rockland St. Mary, south...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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...
.
History
St John's Church originated in the 12th century. Most of the fabric in the church dates from this century and from the 14th century. The roofs currently present were added later.Exterior
The church 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 brick with limestone
Limestone
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....
dressings. The roofs 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...
are slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
d, and the porch roof is tiled. Its plan is simple, consisting of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is round and dates from the 12th century. The two-light bell openings were inserted in the 14th century. 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 from a later date, and is embattled
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...
. The south porch was added in the 14th century, and has been much patched and repaired since. On each side of the entrance are diagonally-set niches
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;...
, and there are the remains of another niche in the 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...
above the entrance. On the west and east sides of the porch are three open arches. The south doorway is 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...
in style with a round-headed arch. It is "very elaborate". The arch is carried on three orders of shafts, with 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...
decorated with scallops and volute
Volute
A volute is a spiral scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals...
s. The arch also has three orders, decorated with fillets
Annulet (architecture)
Annulets, in architecture, are small square components in the Doric capital, under the quarter-round. They are also called fillets or listels....
between them. The windows in the nave and chancel date from the 14th century and contain a variety of Decorated motifs. The east window has five lights and, above it, the gable carries a cross. In the north wall of the nave is a two-light square-headed window, and a Norman doorway with two orders of shafts. The north wall of the chancel, which has been re-built in brick, is supported by pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
-buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, and a larger buttress at the southeast corner.
Interior
The tower arch is round-headed, and the chancel arch has a pointed arch. In the chancel is a 14th-century piscinaPiscina
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...
with two arches. There are some fragments of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
glass in the south chancel window. 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:...
is octagonal, its bowl being decorated with quatrefoil panels. The stained glass in the east window dates from the middle of the 19th century, and was made by J. and J. King of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.