St John the Baptist Church
Listed Grade
II*
Apart from
the Norman chancel arch, and the lower stages of the 13th century tower, the
church was generally rebuilt in the 14th century, when the south aisle was added.
The chancel was rebuilt from the bases of the windows upwards by E Christian,
who restored the church in 1882. The upper stage of the tower is 14th century
with a small spire. The blue lias stone on the north of the nave has so
deteriorated that it has been patched up with brick. The chancel arch is
probably early 12th century, but of unusual design. The arch is enriched with
intersecting zigzag moulding, with a grotesque keystone, almost certainly the
devil’s face, under a double row of billet moulding, and supported on jamb
shafts with scalloped capitals. The tower arch is 15th century with concave
mouldings. The south arcade is most striking; it has four bays, octagonal
piers, and a good series of corbel heads, mostly of men with hair curled in the
fashion of the time of Edward II and III. (There are more faces outside and
within the porch.)The aisle has a14th century wagon roof and a 14th century
piscina with a crocketed canopy. The walls of the aisle and chancel are
scraped. The chancel has a piscina with a cinquefoil head and a double 14th
century decorated aumbry . In the north east corner of the sanctuary a few
medieval tiles remain. The octagonal font is 13th or early 14th century with
bowl and stem cut out of one block of stone. The pew ends are copies of 15th
century panels. In the east window the crucifixion is 14th century glass and
there are fragments of glass dating from that time in the south aisle, east
window. The drum, part of the orchestra before the church had an organ, has the
Royal Arms of 1817. Also here are the village stocks. The chalice dates from
1696. In the chancel are three tablets by w & J Stephens of Worcester:
Sarah Carne died 1807, Susanna Buckle, 1816 and Thomas White, 1771. There are
slate tablets with incised lines and Rococo ornament to William Buckle, 1803 by
Cooke, William White, 1807 by Millard & Cooke and Noah Buckle, 1834 by
Cooke.
Buildings of
Gloucestershire: The Vale and the
and Arthur Mee’s Gloucestershire
SERVICES
The regular
services are:
1st Sunday of the month 11am Holy Communion (BCP)
2nd Sunday of the month 11am Morning worship
4th Sunday of the month 11am Holy Communion (BCP)
Amendments
and additions to this are published in the Severnside magazine each month.
CONTACTS
For baptisms, weddings or funerals
Vicar:
Rev Tom Clammer
The Vicarage, The Green, Apperley,
Tel: 01452 780880
tomclammer@gmail.com
For general enquiries
Churchwardens:
Mr Roger Lane
Chaceley Hall Farm, Chaceley,
Tel: 01452 780205
Mr Bernard Swan
The Sandlings, Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire GL19 4LU
01452 780567
Secretary to the
Nigel Horner, Chaceley Court, Chaceley, Gloucestershire GL19 4EH
01452 780347