St John the Baptist's, Beckford
Beckford is one of the more picturesque villages along the southern edge of Bredon Hill and St John the Baptist's church is accordingly one of the most handsome and interesting in south Worcestershire. The first impression is made by the stately 15th century tower that announces the church's presence, but the building below is much older with many curious reminders of its more distant past.
Despite the initial distraction of the later tower the church is still largely a 12th century Norman building, the nave simply having had its roof replaced and most of its windows modified over the following centuries. The central tower separates nave and chancel, its lowest stage also Norman and showing evidence of a long vanished transept to the south with a large blocked up arch visible (not matched on the north side though it seems reasonable to assume a cruciform church was at least intended if not fully realised). Above is a tower of two further distinct periods, 13th century with lancets below, 15th century Perpendicular above. The most interesting external features however are the two Norman doorways on either side of the nave, that on the north now blocked but both still retain their tympanum carvings (that on the north features a worn figure thrusting a lance into a dragon's head, the larger south doorway (still the main entrance) features two strange beasts beside a cross, and is the image that greets all who enter the church.
Inside the nave has been stripped back to the stonework and the Norman chancel arch beyond affords a more tantalising glimpse of the spaces beyond it (the chancel lighter thanks to an attractive limewash treatment). The arches below the tower reward study for their Norman carvings, strangely only a few in select areas (which one would expect to extend around the entire perimeter of the arch but here such plans seem to have come to an abrupt end after the three carvings at the left hand corner, were the rest simply chiseled off?). The capitals above have curious masks peering out from amongst the Romanesque ornamentation. The glass here is a bit of a mixture and the font late medieval but fairly standard, thus it is the 12th century carvings that will remain the chief joy of a visit here.
Beckford church used to be open daily and welcoming in the good old days of the pre-Covid era (these photos being almost a decade old now and taken with a much more limited camera). Hopefully it will be accessible again before long. See the link below for more details:-
www.worcesteranddudleyhistoricchurches.org.uk/index.php?p...
St John the Baptist's, Beckford
Beckford is one of the more picturesque villages along the southern edge of Bredon Hill and St John the Baptist's church is accordingly one of the most handsome and interesting in south Worcestershire. The first impression is made by the stately 15th century tower that announces the church's presence, but the building below is much older with many curious reminders of its more distant past.
Despite the initial distraction of the later tower the church is still largely a 12th century Norman building, the nave simply having had its roof replaced and most of its windows modified over the following centuries. The central tower separates nave and chancel, its lowest stage also Norman and showing evidence of a long vanished transept to the south with a large blocked up arch visible (not matched on the north side though it seems reasonable to assume a cruciform church was at least intended if not fully realised). Above is a tower of two further distinct periods, 13th century with lancets below, 15th century Perpendicular above. The most interesting external features however are the two Norman doorways on either side of the nave, that on the north now blocked but both still retain their tympanum carvings (that on the north features a worn figure thrusting a lance into a dragon's head, the larger south doorway (still the main entrance) features two strange beasts beside a cross, and is the image that greets all who enter the church.
Inside the nave has been stripped back to the stonework and the Norman chancel arch beyond affords a more tantalising glimpse of the spaces beyond it (the chancel lighter thanks to an attractive limewash treatment). The arches below the tower reward study for their Norman carvings, strangely only a few in select areas (which one would expect to extend around the entire perimeter of the arch but here such plans seem to have come to an abrupt end after the three carvings at the left hand corner, were the rest simply chiseled off?). The capitals above have curious masks peering out from amongst the Romanesque ornamentation. The glass here is a bit of a mixture and the font late medieval but fairly standard, thus it is the 12th century carvings that will remain the chief joy of a visit here.
Beckford church used to be open daily and welcoming in the good old days of the pre-Covid era (these photos being almost a decade old now and taken with a much more limited camera). Hopefully it will be accessible again before long. See the link below for more details:-
www.worcesteranddudleyhistoricchurches.org.uk/index.php?p...