St John the Baptist's, Burford
Burford is a popular destination on the tourist trail through the Cotswolds and its high street is always a bustling place, busy with traffic. The magnificent church of St John the Baptist is less conspicuously placed, being set back down a quiet side street on the edge of this small town, but beckons the visitor onwards with its elegant spire atop its handsome central tower. What rewards the visitor who comes this way is one of the most rewarding of parish churches, a delightful building full of interest.
The church dates back to Norman times but has been mostly remodeled and extended beyond recognition throughout the later Middle Ages so that it appears mostly to be a fine Perpendicular wool church, however the lower half of the tower is still the original 12th century Norman structure (the upper half with its fine ogee-arched windows is 15th century) and the ornately carved west doorway of the nave also remains. The church was made cruciform by the addition of transepts in the 13th century and further aisles and chapels were added later and give the church a rather unusual (one might say confusing) form and layout, culminating in the handsome south porch being flush with the outer walls (rather than projecting) and a large Lady Chapel occupying the southwest corner (originally a separate building but connected during 15th century alterations).
Entering by the delightful south porch with its impressively ornate facade the first feature we notice is the exquisite fan vault of the porch, a wonderfully luxurious addition, unusual in a parish church. The first sight inside the church proper can be a little bewildering due to the profusion of pillars and chapels, but the main impression is that of a 15th century church with a Norman crossing, and standing beneath the tower reveals its arcaded interior, the most ancient part of the church. The Lady Chapel at the west end is a vast space, the largest of the side chapels whilst the smallest is diagonally opposite, a free-standing chantry chapel within the nave that survived through conversion to a family pew after the Reformation, and has been richly decorated since its Victorian restoration.
The 14th century font is carved with sadly damaged figures in niches, including a defaced Crucifixion. Fragments of medieval glass survive in places but most dates from the Victorian period with a few windows in the nave by Kempe. The best glass however is the Arts & Crafts window on the south side by Christopher Whall. The church is packed full of monuments, though surprisingly few bear much in the way of effigies or sculpture aside from the enormous Tanfield monument from the early 17th century that fills the north east chapel with recumbent effigies beneath an imposing canopy.
Burford church is one that shouldn't be missed, both for its handsome exterior and its wealth of interesting features within. My photo coverage alas does not do it justice since they are from my last visit in 2011 with my previous camera which was much more limited in scope. The church is happily kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis.
For a fuller account with photos see below:-
www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/burford.html
St John the Baptist's, Burford
Burford is a popular destination on the tourist trail through the Cotswolds and its high street is always a bustling place, busy with traffic. The magnificent church of St John the Baptist is less conspicuously placed, being set back down a quiet side street on the edge of this small town, but beckons the visitor onwards with its elegant spire atop its handsome central tower. What rewards the visitor who comes this way is one of the most rewarding of parish churches, a delightful building full of interest.
The church dates back to Norman times but has been mostly remodeled and extended beyond recognition throughout the later Middle Ages so that it appears mostly to be a fine Perpendicular wool church, however the lower half of the tower is still the original 12th century Norman structure (the upper half with its fine ogee-arched windows is 15th century) and the ornately carved west doorway of the nave also remains. The church was made cruciform by the addition of transepts in the 13th century and further aisles and chapels were added later and give the church a rather unusual (one might say confusing) form and layout, culminating in the handsome south porch being flush with the outer walls (rather than projecting) and a large Lady Chapel occupying the southwest corner (originally a separate building but connected during 15th century alterations).
Entering by the delightful south porch with its impressively ornate facade the first feature we notice is the exquisite fan vault of the porch, a wonderfully luxurious addition, unusual in a parish church. The first sight inside the church proper can be a little bewildering due to the profusion of pillars and chapels, but the main impression is that of a 15th century church with a Norman crossing, and standing beneath the tower reveals its arcaded interior, the most ancient part of the church. The Lady Chapel at the west end is a vast space, the largest of the side chapels whilst the smallest is diagonally opposite, a free-standing chantry chapel within the nave that survived through conversion to a family pew after the Reformation, and has been richly decorated since its Victorian restoration.
The 14th century font is carved with sadly damaged figures in niches, including a defaced Crucifixion. Fragments of medieval glass survive in places but most dates from the Victorian period with a few windows in the nave by Kempe. The best glass however is the Arts & Crafts window on the south side by Christopher Whall. The church is packed full of monuments, though surprisingly few bear much in the way of effigies or sculpture aside from the enormous Tanfield monument from the early 17th century that fills the north east chapel with recumbent effigies beneath an imposing canopy.
Burford church is one that shouldn't be missed, both for its handsome exterior and its wealth of interesting features within. My photo coverage alas does not do it justice since they are from my last visit in 2011 with my previous camera which was much more limited in scope. The church is happily kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis.
For a fuller account with photos see below:-
www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/burford.html