St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton

St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton
St John's Church, Guilden Sutton
St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°12′28″N 2°49′35″W / 53.2078°N 2.8265°W / 53.2078; -2.8265
OS grid reference	SJ 448 682
Location	Guilden Sutton, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St John, Guilden Sutton
History
Dedication	John the Baptist
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	1 June 1967
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1815
Specifications
Materials	Brick, Welsh slate roof
Administration
Parish	Guilden Sutton
Deanery	Chester
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Rector	Rev. Dr Mark Hart
Laity
Reader	Pauline Holgate, Barbara King
Churchwarden(s)	Joan Emerton, Peter Reid

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.^[1] It continues to be active as an Anglican parish church.^[2] 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.^[3]

History

The church was built in 1815 on the site of a previous church.^[4] The chancel of the previous church had blown down in 1802.^[1] A bellcote was added during the Victorian era.^[5] 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.^[4]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in brick with Welsh slate 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.^[1]

Interior

This is plain, with a raised chancel. There was formerly a wooden chancel screen. The doorway has twisted balusters 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.^[5]

External features

In the churchyard is a buff sandstone 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.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Church of St John the Baptist, Guilden Sutton", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1229368, retrieved 6 May 2011 
2. ^ St John's Guilden Sutton, St Peter's Plemstall & St John's Guilden Sutton, http://plemstallandguildensutton.blogspot.com/, retrieved 16 January 2008 
3. ^ Guilden Sutton, St John the Baptist, Church of England, http://www.achurchnearyou.com/guilden-sutton-st-john-the-baptist/, retrieved 8 October 2009 
4. ^ ^{a b} Buildings & History, St Peter's Plemstall & St John's Guilden Sutton, http://plemstallandguildensuttonbh.blogspot.com/2006/05/st-johns-guilden-sutton.html, retrieved 16 January 2008 
5. ^ ^{a b} Pevsner, Nikolaus; Hubbard, Edward (2003) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 230, ISBN 0-300-09588-0 
6. ^ "Sundial in Churchyard of St John the Baptist, Guilden Sutton", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1229518, retrieved 6 May 2011