St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton is in the village of Guilden Sutton
, near Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. It continues to be active as an Anglican
parish church
. The church is in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Peter, Plemstall
.
of the previous church had blown down in 1802. A bellcote
was added during the Victorian era
. The interior was restored in 2001 when the chancel screen and choir stalls were removed, a toilet was provided and the entrance was improved. In 2005 the bellcote was restored after it had been damaged by death watch beetle
.
roofs. Some of the fabric of the 16th-century church is still present in the wall of the nave. Its plan is simple and consists of a five-bay
nave
and chancel in one range, a south porch, and an octagonal louvred
timber bellcote at the west end. The windows on the sides of the nave and chancel are simple and round-headed. The east window is lancet-shaped.
s and is dated 1698. In the church is a painted memorial plaque to the Whitehead family, which is probably by Randle Holme
III. The font
is dated 1635; it is round and decorated with the date and a single flower.
sundial
. It consists of column baluster on a square base with a cap in a different stone. The copper plate and gnomon
are inscribed with the date 1596 and two sets of lines and numbers. It is listed Grade II.
Guilden Sutton
Guilden Sutton is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is home to 1,525 residents, two churches, a primary school, one pub, a Post Office and a village hall as well as several local...
, near Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, 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 II listed building. It continues to be active as an 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....
. The church is in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with that of St Peter, Plemstall
St Peter's Church, Plemstall
St Peter's Church, Plemstall stands in an isolated position at the end of a country lane near the village of Mickle Trafford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the...
.
History
The church was built in 1815 on the site of a previous church. 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...
of the previous church had blown down in 1802. A bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
was added during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. The interior was restored in 2001 when the chancel screen and choir stalls were removed, a toilet was provided and the entrance was improved. In 2005 the bellcote was restored after it had been damaged by death watch beetle
Death watch beetle
The death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to long....
.
Exterior
The church is built in brick with Welsh slateSlate
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...
roofs. Some of the fabric of the 16th-century church is still present in the wall of the nave. Its plan is simple and consists of a five-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...
and chancel in one range, a south porch, and an octagonal louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
timber bellcote at the west end. The windows on the sides of the nave and chancel are simple and round-headed. The east window is lancet-shaped.
Interior
This is plain, with a raised chancel. There was formerly a wooden chancel screen. The doorway has twisted balusterBaluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s and is dated 1698. In the church is a painted memorial plaque to the Whitehead family, which is probably by Randle Holme
Randle Holme
Randle Holme was a name shared by members of four successive generations of a family who lived in Chester, Cheshire, England from the late years of the 16th century to the early years of the 18th century. They were all herald painters and genealogists and were members of the Stationers' Company of...
III. 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 dated 1635; it is round and decorated with the date and a single flower.
External features
In the churchyard is a buff sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
. It consists of column baluster on a square base with a cap in a different stone. The copper plate and gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....
are inscribed with the date 1596 and two sets of lines and numbers. It is listed Grade II.