St John the Baptist's Church, Mongewell
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Mongewell, is a redundant
Church of England parish church
, now partly in ruins, in the hamlet of Mongewell
, Oxfordshire
, England. English Heritage
has designated it a Grade II listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The ruins stand on the east bank of the River Thames
, next to the former Carmel College, to the north of Mongewell Park, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Wallingford, and near the The Ridgeway
long-distance path
.
Gothick
style for Rev Shute Barrington
late in the 18th century. Barrington was Bishop of Durham and, when he died in 1826, was buried in the family vault
in the church. The church was restored
under the direction of the architect Lewis Wyatt
in 1880. It was designated a Grade II listed building on 9 February 1959. The church was declared redundant on 1 July 1981 and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 31 July 1985. For access, the keyholder can be found nearby.
and a chancel
with a west tower. It is built of flint
with stone dressings. Brick buttress
es support the nave walls. The tower is brick and the chancel roof is tiled. The nave has no roof. The lower part of the tower is round and the upper part is hexagonal with a battlement
ed parapet
. The chancel is in Norman
style, and contains two 18th-century monuments. One of these consists of a tomb with the effigy
of a man dressed in "Eastern costume" including a turban
.
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...
Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
, now partly in ruins, in the hamlet of Mongewell
Mongewell
Mongewell is a village in the civil parish of Crowmarsh, about south of Wallingford in Oxfordshire. Mongewell is on the east bank of the Thames, linked with the west bank at Winterbrook by the nearby Winterbrook Bridge...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England. 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...
has designated it a Grade II 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...
. The ruins stand on the east bank of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, next to the former Carmel College, to the north of Mongewell Park, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Wallingford, and near the The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
thumb|right|thumb|The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countrysideThe Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road...
long-distance path
Long-distance trail
Long-distance trails are the longer recreational trails mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling ....
.
History
The church dates probably from the 12th century. It was remodelled in picturesquePicturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
Gothick
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style for Rev Shute Barrington
Shute Barrington
Shute Barrington was an English churchman, Bishop of Llandaff in Wales, as well as Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham in England.-Life:...
late in the 18th century. Barrington was Bishop of Durham and, when he died in 1826, was buried in the family vault
Burial vault (tomb)
A burial vault is a structural underground tomb.It is a stone or brick-lined underground space or 'burial' chamber for the interment of a dead body or bodies. They were originally and are still often vaulted and usually have stone slab entrances...
in the church. The church was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
under the direction of the architect Lewis Wyatt
Lewis Wyatt
Lewis William Wyatt was a British architect, a nephew of both Samuel and James Wyatt of the Wyatt family of architects, who articled with each of his uncles and began practice on his own about 1805....
in 1880. It was designated a Grade II listed building on 9 February 1959. The church was declared redundant on 1 July 1981 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 Churches Conservation Trust on 31 July 1985. For access, the keyholder can be found nearby.
Architecture
The church consists of a naveNave
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...
with a west tower. It is built of flint
Flint
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...
with stone dressings. Brick buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es support the nave walls. The tower is brick and the chancel roof is tiled. The nave has no roof. The lower part of the tower is round and the upper part is hexagonal with a battlement
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...
ed 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...
. The chancel is in 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...
style, and contains two 18th-century monuments. One of these consists of a tomb with the effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of a man dressed in "Eastern costume" including a turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England