West Vale: St John the Evangelist
Overview
Grid reference: SE 98 212
The church is an example of a building in the neo-Romanesque style of an unusual date, falling between the neo-Norman of the 1840's and the neo-Romanesque which some architects used with Arts and Crafts overtones during the early years of the twentieth century.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
A rectangle, with nave and chancel under a roof of the same height and both flanked by aisles; the tower stands within the south-west corner of the south nave aisle. The nave is of three broad and one narrow bays and has a low clerestory; the chancel is of three much narrower bays.
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was designed by T. Rushworth of Regent Street, London, and the foundation stone was laid on 16 October 1880 ; the church was opened on 26 September 1882. The estimated cost was £3,500; the church was built in one campaign, and the tower was paid for by John Baldwin of Claye House, who laid the foundation stone. The builder was E. Riley of Ripponden.
Exterior Description
The church is an example of a building in the neo-Romanesque style of an unusual date, falling between the neo-Norman of the 1840's and the neo-Romanesque which some architects used with Arts and Crafts overtones during the early years of the twentieth century. Only the east window and the upper stage of the tower show the lancets of a later architectural period. The body of the church is substantial and relatively plain, with an effective ness gained more by mass than by detail. Each bay of the aisles (divided by buttresses from each other) has two widely separated round-headed windows and the low clerestory has windows of a similar design but much smaller. The division of the nave from the chancel is marked by two large square pinnacles with pyramid caps and a stone ridge to the wall over the chancel arch, and that is a third square pinnacle at the juction of the south nave aisle with the south chancel aise, though none on the north side of the building away from the road. The west wall of the nave has four tall round headed windows, the middle two of equal height and grouped under a round arch with a small pierced roundel above. There are three more such roundels in the area of wall forming the apex of the gable, and on the north side is a square pinnacle like those further east. The gable is crowned by a stone cross of Celtic design.
The chancel has the same profile as the nave, with aisles and a clerestory, and the same small round-headed lights in the clerestory. The aisles, however, which form an organ chamber and vestry on the north and a choir vestry on the south, are of differing design. That on the south has a pair of lancets and a pointed doorway in the south wall and another pair of lancets in the east wall, but that on the north, while having a similar pair of lancets in the east wall, has a cross gable (under which the organ stands) with one round-headed light in the wall below. The east gable of the chancel, which is flanked by two square pinnacles like those elsewhere (though these appear to have been truncated) has three lancets under a linked hoodmould.
The south-west tower is of three stages with clasping buttresses at the angles. The lowest stage is divided into two levels by a moulded string, below which there is a neo-Norman doorway in the south face with nook-shafts. In the west face is a round-headed window, and the upper part of this stage is patterned with blind arcading of round arches. The middle stage, which is detached from the church on three sides, has paired round- headed lights under round arches in each face. The uppermost stage is the bell-chamber, and has large two-light louvred openings in each face, deeply recessed within several orders of shafts and moulded arches. Roundels in the spandrels are carved with the symbols of the Evangelists in relief, and there are dragon-like gargoyles projecting at the angles. The parapet has blind trefoil-hooded arcading with skeleton clock face on all four sides, and the octagonal pinnacles at the corners are enriched with panelling. Within the parapet rises a short stone spire of octagonal plan with two tiers of carved decoration.
The porch within the ground floor of the tower is paved with stone flags and roofed with a stone vault with four ribs and a circular bell-way in the centre. The ribs rest on shafts in the corners of the chamber with stiff-leaf capitals, and the inner doorway giving access to the nave has a round head with two orders of beak-head and chevron over capitals carved with faces of animals and leaves.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
c.1880
The east window has three lights commemorating a death in 1873, but probably with glass of c.1880, with thirteen Scenes from the Life of Christ.
Stained Glass
Early 20th Century
West window: four lights, the middle pair of 1911 and the outer pair of 1920, all by Curtis, Ward and Hughes, depicting St. John the Baptist, Christ and the Children, Christ and St. Mary Magdalene and St. John the Divine
Stained Glass
1945
North aisle: one light depicting The Virgin and Child.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church continues the neo-Romanesque theme which predominates on the exterior, with large moulded round arches to the three bays of the arcades and arches of half the width in the smaller west bay. The cylindrical pillars have attached shafts on the four principal sides and the capitals have carved foliate decoration which captures quite convincingly the spirit of Norman work, with strong Celtic overtones. The shafts facing the nave carry pilasters which rise through the clerestory to support the principal timbers of the roof, and each truss consists of a collar with arch braces. There is a foliate cornice at the head of the clerestory on each side. The window stand within exposed stone reveals and the floor is paved with stone in the alleys and has timber boards under the pews.
The chancel arch is tall and broad, scarcely creating a divisjon between nave and chancel except for the iron screen which crosses the church at this point. The arch is carried on attached shafts at each side and is enriched with an order of dog-tooth. Within the chancel, there is one arch on each side similar to the arches of the nave arcade, and then a short stretch of blind wall reaching to the east wall. This, as has been noticed outside, is pierced by three lancets and inside in further elaborated by two blind arches of slightly narrower proportions on each side. High on the wall are three roundels carried in relief and the capitals in the chancel are well carved with doves and griffing and so forth. Below the windows the wall has blind arcading each side of the reredos, with the Decalogue incised on the surface thus framed. The roof of the chancel is similar to that of the nave.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
c.1880
The altar is of oak, of a neo-Norman design.
Reredos
c.1880
The reredos is the central arch of stone arcading on the east wall inset with a painting of The Last Supper after Poussin.
Pulpit
c.1880
The pulpit is of oak with two tiers of square panels set on a trumpet-shaped stone base.
Lectern
c.1880
The lectern is a brass eagle.
Font (object)
c.1880
The font is neo-Norman, a massive square object in grey marble with stiff-leaf foliage and arcading of rather Celtic inspiration.
Organ (object)
1882
The organ dates from 1882 and is by Peter Conacher and Company of Huddersfield.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SE 98 212
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.