Church of St John Northgate - Northgate Street, Gloucester — ell brown

Heading into the city centre of Gloucester. Shops and pubs around here! On Northgate Street. The Church of St John Northgate. Grade II* listed. <a href="http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-472373-church-of-st-john-northgate-gloucestersh" rel="nofollow">Church of St John Northgate, Gloucester</a> GLOUCESTER SO8318NW NORTHGATE STREET 844-1/8/227 (West side) 23/01/52 Church of St John Northgate (Formerly Listed as: NORTHGATE STREET (West side) Church of St John the Baptist) GV II* Church. Tower and spire c1450; the body of the church rebuilt 1732-4, designed and built by Edward and Thomas Woodward of Chipping Campden in a provincial classical style; restored and altered 1880 and 1882; spire truncated 1910 and the Top of Spire (qv) rebuilt in former church grave yard, now St Lucy's Garden, on north side of St John's Lane; east front re-faced 1991 and the roof renewed 1975. Tower and spire of squared stone partially coursed; the body of the church of ashlar on brick; slate, hipped mansard roof. PLAN: simple rectangular plan of nave and aisles of five bays and a chancel of one-bay flanked by the lobby entry from Northgate Street on the south side, and a bay housing the organ on the north side; the tower projects from the west end on the south side at a slight angle to the axis of the church. EXTERIOR: at the east end facing Northgate Street a symmetrical tripartite front with slight central projection framed by Roman Doric pilasters set on a high podium base with offset plinth and moulded capping, and supporting entablature with metopes and crowning pediment; in the centre, above an applied balustrade with turned half-balusters between blank panels, a large Venetian window framed by Ionic pilasters with entablatures above the sidelights, and a moulded arch with a projecting key stone over the central light, the walls on each side of the central projection have quoin strips at the outer angles, cornices at the eaves level of the return side walls, and parapets, each parapet with an applied blank panel and capping cornices at the level of the central crowning cornice; a semicircular arched doorway to the lobby entry on the left and a matching false doorway on the right, both with moulded architrave frames, imposts and raised key stones; fielded eight panel double doors with a glazed fanlight in the arch above the left- hand doors and fielded panels in the arch above the right-hand door; above each doorway a large circular window, both with moulded architrave frames; at the angles of the crowning pediment and above the quoin strips at the outer angles stone vases with knopped lids; on the apex of the pediment a cross. On both side walls cornices at eaves level and semicircular arched windows with projecting keystones, the windows enlarged 1882. West tower of three stages defined by moulded string courses, with diagonal buttresses with offsets to the lower and middle stages; C20 crennelated parapet with moulded capping; a two-light window on each face in the middle stage and similar belfrey windows in the upper stage, all with Perpendicular tracery; set on the tower within the parapet an octagonal, truncated spire with ribbed arrises and two-light lucarnes on the cardinal faces; at the apex an ogee, lead capping with a ball finial. INTERIOR: nave of five bays with colonnades of four Roman Doric columns without entablatures dividing nave from aisles; at the west end the C14 respond of the former medieval north arcade; a plaster barrel vault over the nave and flat plaster ceilings over the aisles; fielded panel dado of 1734 on the north, south and west walls. FITTINGS: include the medieval font retained from the earlier church but recut, early C18 carved oak reredos, communion table and rails given to the church in 1734 by Bridget Price, and part of the original three-decker pulpit from which George Whitefield and John Wesley preached, pews of 1874 and choir stalls of 1882, two C18 wrought-iron mace rests. STAINED GLASS: includes the east window 1880 by Camm Brothers of Smethwick as a memorial to Robert Raikes and Rev.Thomas Stock on the centenary of the foundation of the Sunday School movement in Gloucester. MONUMENTS: include from the medieval church many floor slabs and on the north wall of the nave two brasses of figures from a memorial to John Semys, d.1540 and his two wives; on the north wall of the chancel a Baroque, gilded monument effigy to Thomas Price, Master of the Horse to Charles I and twice Mayor of Gloucester, d.1678, with an upright, upper half effigy; on the south wall a monument with a small recumbant effigy to his daughter, Dorothy Price, d.1693, both by Reeve of Gloucester; on the west wall monuments include several brought from St Michael's Church, Eastgate Street (qv) when the body of that church was demolished in 1953, including a cartouche to John Hyett, Alderman and twice Mayor of Gloucester, d.1711. This church was formerly the parish church of St John the Baptist. From 1972 by formal agreement the church shared between the congregation of the demolished Northgate Methodist Church and the Church of England. The east front closely resembles that of St Swithun's Worcester, another church in classical style by the Woodwards: their architectural career is cited in Colvin. (Colvin H: A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840: London: 1978-: 914-6; BOE: Verey D: Gloucestershire: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: London: 1976-: 231-2). Listing NGR: SO8324318683 This text is a legacy record and has not been updated since the building was originally listed. Details of the building may have changed in the intervening time. You should not rely on this listing as an accurate description of the building. Source: English Heritage Listed building text is © Crown Copyright. Reproduced under licence. Leeds Building Society to the left. Tower of Gloucester Cathedral seen to the right.