St John the Baptist's Church, Allington
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Allington, is located in the village of Allington
, Wiltshire
, England. It is a redundant
Anglican
parish church
in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
arch, and a portion of a Norman
door in the north wall. Most of the church was rebuilt between 1847 and 1851, the architect being the "priest-architect" Fr William Grey. The church was declared redundant on 1 February 2010, and was vested
in the Friends of Friendless Churches in the following year.
and limestone
with limestone dressings. The roof is tiled. Its plan consists of a nave
and a chancel
, and a south porch that rises into a tower. The tower is in two stages with angle buttress
es and a pyramidal tiled roof. In the upper stage are two-light bell openings, and at the summit is a crenellated
parapet
with gargoyle
s. The nave has doors on the north and south sides, the north door containing the Norman fragments. Along the sides of the nave are two- and three-light square-headed windows. In the chancel are two re-set lancet window
s dating from the late 12th or early 13th century, and a three-light east window.
and colour-washed; it has a 19th-century wagon roof
. The interior of the chancel has stencil and freehand decoration executed in 1876 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
. This is in memory of Revd Fulwar William Fowle, rector of the church for over 60 years. The chancel is floored with encaustic tile
s. It contains a sedilia
and a piscina
. The stained glass in the east window is also by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and depicts the Crucifixion
. The font
dates from the 19th century, and is in the style of the 12th century. It has a pyramidal pierced cover dating from the 17th century. The pulpit
is in oak, and dates from the 19th century. There are two pews dating from the 16th-17th century, and later pews designed to match them. In the porch is an oak churchwarden
s' coffer
from the 16th-17th century with three locks, and a stool dating from the 17th century.
, sister of Jane
, but who died before he could marry her. Fowle died of yellow fever
in the West Indies trying to raise sufficient funds for their marriage.
Allington, Salisbury
Allington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about nine miles north-east of Salisbury. The parish includes the villages of Allington and Boscombe.Nearby villages are Idmiston, Amesbury and Newton Tony....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England. It is a redundant
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...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches is a registered charity active in England and Wales. It campaigns for and rescues redundant historic churches threatened by demolition, decay, or inappropriate conversion. To that end, as of August 2010, it owns 43 former churches or chapels, 23 of which...
. The church 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.
History
The earliest parts of the church date from the 12th century, but only fragments of this remain, namely the chancelChancel
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...
arch, and a portion of a 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...
door in the north wall. Most of the church was rebuilt between 1847 and 1851, the architect being the "priest-architect" Fr William Grey. The church was declared redundant on 1 February 2010, 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 Friends of Friendless Churches in the following year.
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 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....
with limestone dressings. The roof is tiled. Its plan consists of a 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 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 south porch that rises into a tower. The tower is in two 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 and a pyramidal tiled roof. In the upper stage are two-light bell openings, and at the summit is a crenellated
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...
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...
with gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s. The nave has doors on the north and south sides, the north door containing the Norman fragments. Along the sides of the nave are two- and three-light square-headed windows. In the chancel are two re-set lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s dating from the late 12th or early 13th century, and a three-light east window.
Interior
Inside the church, the wall of the nave is renderedStucco
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...
and colour-washed; it has a 19th-century wagon roof
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. The interior of the chancel has stencil and freehand decoration executed in 1876 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
. This is in memory of Revd Fulwar William Fowle, rector of the church for over 60 years. The chancel is floored with encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s. It contains a sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
and a 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...
. The stained glass in the east window is also by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and depicts the Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
. 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 19th century, and is in the style of the 12th century. It has a pyramidal pierced cover dating from the 17th century. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is in oak, and dates from the 19th century. There are two pews dating from the 16th-17th century, and later pews designed to match them. In the porch is an oak churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s' coffer
Chest (furniture)
A chest is one of the oldest forms of furniture. It is typically a rectangular structure with four walls and a liftable lid, for storage. The interior space may be subdivided...
from the 16th-17th century with three locks, and a stool dating from the 17th century.
External features
In the churchyard are two structures that have also been listed at Grade II. One of these is a pair of limestone coffin tombs dating from the 18th century. One of these is inscribed with the date 1728; the date on the other is illegible. The other consists of two chest tombs dating from the early 19th century.Austen connection
A forerunner of Revd Fulwar William Fowle was Revd Thomas Fowle, vicar between 1793 and 1797, who was engaged to Cassandra AustenCassandra Austen
Cassandra Elizabeth Austen was an amateur English watercolourist and the elder sister of Jane Austen.-Childhood:...
, sister of Jane
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, but who died before he could marry her. Fowle died of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in the West Indies trying to raise sufficient funds for their marriage.