Building record MLI30602 - Church of St John the Baptist, Stamford
Summary
The current church of St John the Baptist dates from around 1450, but there has been a church on this site since at least the 12th century.
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
The current church of St John the Baptist dates from around 1450. {1}{2}
The church survives today and has a small churchyard which has obviously been encroached on (see PRN 30790). The earliest documentary reference dates to the early 13th century. The present building dates to the late 14th-15th century. It was one of the wealthiest churches in the town from the 13th century onwards. {3}
A fine and imposing medieval church, in a prominent position in the south-western quarter of historic Stamford. The antiquity of the street plan is confirmed by the fact that the whole church is canted slightly to the south-east to fit into the cramped plot. The first church known to have existed on the site stood by 1146 and some architectural fragments remain. The present church dates to the mid 15th century and was restored by Edward Browning in 1856. A small south-east vestry was added in 1897. The church is simple in plan and homogenous in form, as it was rebuilt between about 1430 and 1450 in a single campaign. The 15th century roof is one of the finest in eastern England. There are high quality monuments dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries around the walls and there are remnants of late medieval stained glass in several of the windows. The church, with its monuments, furnishings and fittings is of the highest quality and of local, regional and national architectural, art historical, historical and archaeological importance. {4}
Stained glass in this church, some of which is in situ, dates to the 15th century, with the majority dating to c.1451 AD. Some of the glass is in the International Style. {5}
There are descriptions of the furniture and fittings, which have been recorded in exhaustive detail. {6}{7}{8}{9}
The church dates to around 1450. It has a coloured angel bracket roof and good contemporary glass in some windows. There is also a small Coade stone memorial to John Borth. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {10}{11}
Sources/Archives (11)
- <1> SLI2344 Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. TF 00 NW: 6.
- <2> SLI2881 Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 00 NW: BG.
- <3> SLI1102 Bibliographic Reference: Hartley, J.S. and Rogers, A.. 1974. The Religious Foundations of Medieval Stamford. -.
- <4> SLI6049 Unpublished Document: Council for the Care of Churches. 2000-2001. Pastoral Measure Report. Stamford.
- <5> SLI7602 Bibliographic Reference: Penny Hebgin-Barnes. 1996. The Medieval Stained Glass of the County of Lincolnshire. pp.277-86.
- <6> SLI6434 Report: Council for the Care of Churches. 2001. Part of an Inventory for the Church of St John the Baptist, Stamford. -.
- <7> SLI912 Bibliographic Reference: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1977. An Inventory of Historical Monuments. The Town of Stamford. no.30, pp.15-7, plates 21-3, 26, 40-1, 53.
- <8> SLI12932 Bibliographic Reference: ROGERS, A.. 1970. The Medieval Buildings of Stamford. no.35, p.34.
- <9> SLI1062 Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). pp.690-1.
- <10> SLI6708 Index: Department of the Environment. 1974. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1/174.
- <11> SLI13386 Website: Historic England (formerly English Heritage). 2011->. The National Heritage List for England. http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. 1360419.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 02926 07084 (29m by 18m) Surveyed |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | STAMFORD, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (2)
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Dec 6 2023 10:31AM
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