St John the Baptist's Church, Strensham
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Strensham, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Strensham
, Worcestershire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. Clifton-Taylor
includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.
and the chancel
. The tower was added in the late 14th or in the 15th century, and the nave windows were altered in the 15th century. In the early 19th century the vestry
was added. The church has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1991.
rubble
. The whole of the exterior is rendered
, and the roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave, a lower and narrower chancel, a south porch, a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttress
es on the west corners, and a stair turret
on the south east. In the lowest stage is a west doorway, above which is a three-light Perpendicular window. The middle stage contains a single-light window on the west side. The top stage contains a two-light bell opening on each side, and at the summit of the tower is an embattled
parapet
. In the chancel, the east window has three lights, the south wall contains a priest's door and a two-light window, and the north wall has a single-light window. The vestry has an embattled parapet. In both the north and south walls of the nave are a doorway, one single-light and two two-light windows. Above the south doorway is a sundial
.
s. The nave is floored with 15th-century tiles and bricks at the west end. The chancel is paved with stone. At the west end is a gallery which has been reconstructed from a 15th or 16th century oak rood
screen. It is elaborately carved and on its front are 23 painted panels. The central one contains a depiction of Christ, and the others contain apostles
, saints and other church figures. The font
dates from the 19th century and is in Norman
style. The pulpit
and attached reading desk date from about 1700, and the benches are from the mid-16th century. There is a large box pew
at the east end of the nave. Above the chancel arch are the Royal arms
of George III
and two hatchment
s. On the west wall of the nave are boards containing the Lord's Prayer
, the Ten Commandments
and the Apostle's Creed.
In the chancel are a number of monuments to the Russell family, the earliest dating from the later part of the 14th century. There are a number of brasses
, the oldest being that of Sir Robert Russell who died in 1390. A large Jacobean
monument, possibly by Samuel Baldwin, is to the memory of Sir Thomas Russell, who died in 1632, and his wife who died in 1618; it includes painted and gilded
effigies
under an arch. A Baroque
wall monument to Sir Francis Russell, who died in 1705, and his wife, is by Edward Stanton. There is a monument to Samuel Butler
, the poet and satirist who was born in the parish, and who died in 1680. The stained glass includes the east window of 1890 by Cox, Son and Buckly, depicting the Good Shepherd
, a south chancel window of 1917 by Florence Camm depicting the Good Samaritan, and a window in the nave dating from 1903 depicting the Ascension by Curtis, Ward and Hughes. The simple organ in the west gallery was made by the Positive Organ Company of London. The ring
consists of six bells. Three of these were cast in 1704–05 by Abraham Rudhall I
of Gloucester
, and the other three in 1911 by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
.
cross which is designated as a Grade II listed building.
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 in the village of Strensham
Strensham
Strensham is a village in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. In the 2001 census, the civil parish of Strensham had a population of 314 across 127 households...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, 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...
. Clifton-Taylor
Alec Clifton-Taylor
Alec Clifton-Taylor OBE was an English architectural historian, writer and TV broadcaster.-Biography and works:...
includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.
History
Although the church probably originated earlier, the earliest fabric still present is from the 14th century. This is to be found in the 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 the 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...
. The tower was added in the late 14th or in the 15th century, and the nave windows were altered in the 15th century. In the early 19th century the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was added. The church has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1991.
Exterior
The vestry is constructed in brick, and the rest of the church is in grey liasLias Group
The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the low countries and the north of Germany...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
. The whole of the exterior is rendered
Stucco
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 the roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave, a lower and narrower chancel, a south porch, a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es on the west corners, and a stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
on the south east. In the lowest stage is a west doorway, above which is a three-light Perpendicular window. The middle stage contains a single-light window on the west side. The top stage contains a two-light bell opening on each side, and at the summit of the tower is an 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...
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...
. In the chancel, the east window has three lights, the south wall contains a priest's door and a two-light window, and the north wall has a single-light window. The vestry has an embattled parapet. In both the north and south walls of the nave are a doorway, one single-light and two two-light windows. Above the south doorway is a 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...
.
Interior
The walls and ceilings are plastered. Both the nave and the chancel have barrel roofBarrel roof
A barrel roof is a curved roof that, especially from below, is curved like a cut-away barrel. They have some advantages over dome roofs, especially being able to cover rectangular buildings., due to their uniform cross-section....
s. The nave is floored with 15th-century tiles and bricks at the west end. The chancel is paved with stone. At the west end is a gallery which has been reconstructed from a 15th or 16th century oak rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
screen. It is elaborately carved and on its front are 23 painted panels. The central one contains a depiction of Christ, and the others contain apostles
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
, saints and other church figures. 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 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. 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...
and attached reading desk date from about 1700, and the benches are from the mid-16th century. There is a large box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
at the east end of the nave. Above the chancel arch are the Royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and two hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s. On the west wall of the nave are boards containing the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
and the Apostle's Creed.
In the chancel are a number of monuments to the Russell family, the earliest dating from the later part of the 14th century. There are a number of brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
, the oldest being that of Sir Robert Russell who died in 1390. A large Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
monument, possibly by Samuel Baldwin, is to the memory of Sir Thomas Russell, who died in 1632, and his wife who died in 1618; it includes painted and gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
effigies
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,...
under an arch. A Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
wall monument to Sir Francis Russell, who died in 1705, and his wife, is by Edward Stanton. There is a monument to Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler (poet)
Samuel Butler was a poet and satirist. Born in Strensham, Worcestershire and baptised 14 February 1613, he is remembered now chiefly for a long satirical burlesque poem on Puritanism entitled Hudibras.-Biography:...
, the poet and satirist who was born in the parish, and who died in 1680. The stained glass includes the east window of 1890 by Cox, Son and Buckly, depicting the Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd may refer to:In Christianity:* The Good Shepherd , pericope found in John 10:1-21, and a popular image in which the Good Shepherd represents Jesus...
, a south chancel window of 1917 by Florence Camm depicting the Good Samaritan, and a window in the nave dating from 1903 depicting the Ascension by Curtis, Ward and Hughes. The simple organ in the west gallery was made by the Positive Organ Company of London. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells. Three of these were cast in 1704–05 by Abraham Rudhall I
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, and the other three in 1911 by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.
External features
In the churchyard is the base of a medievalMiddle 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...
cross which is designated as a Grade II listed building.