Misplaced Pages

52°53′32″N 00°57′41″W / 52.89222°N 0.96139°W / 52.89222; -0.96139

St John's Church, Colston Bassett
St John's Church, Colston Bassett
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
Website	www.wivertoninthevale.co.uk/saint-john-the-divine-colston-bassett/
History
Dedication	St. John
Consecrated	2 August 1892
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Architect(s)	Arthur Brewill
Architectural type	Gothic
Years built	1892
Specifications
Spire height	150 feet (46 m)
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	Southwell and Nottingham
Archdeaconry	Nottingham
Deanery	East Bingham
Benefice	Wiverton in the Vale
Parish	Colston Bassett

St John's Church, Colston Bassett is an English parish church of the Church of England in Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire. It is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as a building of special architectural or historic interest.

History

St John's Church, Colston Bassett, was built in 1892 by the architect Arthur Brewill at the behest of Robert Millington Knowles of Colston Bassett Hall, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. The contractors were Bell and Sons. Five bells were removed from the old church and installed in the tower with a chiming apparatus. The east window was filled with stained glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The pulpit was presented by Major Day of Kingussie (formerly of Colston Bassett Hall), with an upper portion in oak and the lower portion in Cosham Down Bath stone. It was designed by the architect and constructed by Oldham and Knight of Nottingham. The font was the gift of W.K. Marriott, of the Manor House, Barking, Essex, in memory of his parents. The lectern was funded by subscriptions from the parishioners and obtained from Whippel and Co.

However, the work of 1892 was of poor quality and the church soon needed restoration. This was begun in 1934 by Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott. The work involved restoration of the spire which had become fractured by the corrosion of iron cramps at a cost of £280 (equivalent to £24,000 in 2023). The western side of the church which was in danger of collapsing owing to the dilapidated conditions of the foundations was restored by Sir Edward and Lady Le Merchant at a cost of £1,000 (equivalent to £85,800 in 2023).

The building was reopened by the Bishop of Southwell, the Henry Mosley on 12 August 1936, while instituting a new vicar, the Rev. John Booth.

St John's replaced an earlier parish church dedicated to St Mary, which had become ruined and was further from the village. Substantial remains of it can still be seen and are listed Grade 1 in the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historical Interest. They date from the Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Gothic (the building's greatest size was reached in 1470), and Georgian periods. The churchyard remains in use.

War memorial cross

The churchyard contains a war memorial cross which is Grade II listed It was created by Farmer & Brindley and dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell on 22 May 1920. The cross is of Portland stone and is 12 feet (3.7 m) high. It bears the inscription:

To the memory of the men of Colston Bassett who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1919. Arthur Anderson, Albert Birkin, Alfred Faulks, John Green, Albert Lane, Charles Newton, Ernest Parnham, Thomas Parnham, Alfred Richards, Robert Rogerson, Amos Shaw, Benjamin Sheppard, John Wagstaff, Edwin Westman.

Current parish status

St John's Church, Colston Bassett is in the Wiverton group of parishes, which also includes:

• St Andrew's Church, Langar
• St Giles's Church, Cropwell Bishop
• All Saints' Church, Granby
• Holy Trinity Church, Tythby
• St Mary's Church, Barnstone (no longer in use)
• St Michael and All Angels' Church, Elton on the Hill

Notable memorials

• Henry Martin (Kinsale MP) (d. 1839) and his wife Maria Elizabeth
• Revd. Joshua Brooke (d. 1888)
• Alice Catherine Knowles (d. 1892)
• John Haslam Knowles (d. 1890) and Lieut. Alfred Millington Knowles (d. 1900)
• Robert Millington Knowles (d. 1924)
• Brigadier General Sir Edward Thomas LeMarchant (d. 1953) and his wife Evelyn Brooks Knowles (d. 1957)

Old Rectory

The Old Rectory dates from 1834 and was designed by Henry Moses Wood.

See also

• Listed buildings in Colston Bassett

Sources

1. "St John's Church, Colston Bassett". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 3 August 1892. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. Historic England, "Church of St John the Divine (1210496)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 May 2024
3. ^ Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE (1210496)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
4. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1979). Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England). Harmondsworth, Middx. Penguin. p. 106. ISBN 978-0300096361.
5. "St John's Church, Colston Bassett". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 6 August 1892. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Colston Bassett". Grantham Journal. England. 28 July 1934. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
8. "Church Restoration". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 3 January 1935. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "New Vicar of Colston Bassett". Grantham Journal. England. 15 August 1936. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. Southwell church history site Retrieved 11 December 2019.
11. Colston Bassett site Retrieved 5 October 2016.
12. Historic England, "Colston Bassett War Memorial (1436251)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 May 2024
13. "Memorial Cross Dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell". Grantham Journal. England. 29 May 1920. Retrieved 25 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. Wiverton Group Retrieved 5 January 2015.
15. Colvin, Howard (1995). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840. Yale University Press. p. 1072. ISBN 0300060912.

• Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire
• Grade II listed churches in Nottinghamshire
• Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
• Churches completed in 1892
• 19th-century Church of England church buildings
• Basil Baily