St John the Baptist church, Windsor
The ancient church of St John the Baptist must have arisen soon after Henry I moved the Royal Court to the Castle site from Old Windsor to ‘New Windsor’. By the reign of Henry II (c1110), the church was clearly established as there are references to its existence and its previous incumbents. In 1168 it also looked after a leper colony, the Hospital of the Blessed Peter, beyond the Western reaches of the town near to the present day King Edward VII hospital in the area still known as Spital.
The ancient building had Saxon arches and Norman work and by the 18th century it was ‘a vast building with 10 side altars and several chantries’ and perhaps 8 gabled roofs. A central tower, surmounted by a wooden cage containing the bells, supported a small spire.
By all accounts, in 1818 the high cost of repairs to the old building (£1400) brought forward plans for a complete rebuild at a cost of £14,000. Charles Hollis was appointed architect and, between 1820-22, the new building was erected with cast iron columns that were floated down the Thames. The ribs that support the 84’ x 60’(25.5m x 18m) roof are also cast iron. The new church, gothic in style with a pinnacle tower containing the bells, was finally consecrated on 22nd June 1822 by the Bishop of Salisbury.
The walls of present building follow the plan of the mediaeval church; the old vaults of the previous church lie beneath. During building work to the West end of the church, the old floor covered in grave slabs was revealed; lead coffins were discovered deposited on shelves in the vaults beneath the ancient floor. During reconstruction of a boundary wall of one of the properties adjoining the churchyard, burials dating back to mediaeval times were found by a team from Berkshire Archaeological society.
St John the Baptist church, Windsor
The ancient church of St John the Baptist must have arisen soon after Henry I moved the Royal Court to the Castle site from Old Windsor to ‘New Windsor’. By the reign of Henry II (c1110), the church was clearly established as there are references to its existence and its previous incumbents. In 1168 it also looked after a leper colony, the Hospital of the Blessed Peter, beyond the Western reaches of the town near to the present day King Edward VII hospital in the area still known as Spital.
The ancient building had Saxon arches and Norman work and by the 18th century it was ‘a vast building with 10 side altars and several chantries’ and perhaps 8 gabled roofs. A central tower, surmounted by a wooden cage containing the bells, supported a small spire.
By all accounts, in 1818 the high cost of repairs to the old building (£1400) brought forward plans for a complete rebuild at a cost of £14,000. Charles Hollis was appointed architect and, between 1820-22, the new building was erected with cast iron columns that were floated down the Thames. The ribs that support the 84’ x 60’(25.5m x 18m) roof are also cast iron. The new church, gothic in style with a pinnacle tower containing the bells, was finally consecrated on 22nd June 1822 by the Bishop of Salisbury.
The walls of present building follow the plan of the mediaeval church; the old vaults of the previous church lie beneath. During building work to the West end of the church, the old floor covered in grave slabs was revealed; lead coffins were discovered deposited on shelves in the vaults beneath the ancient floor. During reconstruction of a boundary wall of one of the properties adjoining the churchyard, burials dating back to mediaeval times were found by a team from Berkshire Archaeological society.