Church of St John the Evangelist, Elkstone

The Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist at Elkstone in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England was built in the 12th century. It is a grade I listed building.[1]

Church of St John the Evangelist
Church of St John the Evangelist
DenominationChurch of England
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I listed building
Designated12 November 1958
Administration
BeneficeThe Churn Valley
DioceseGloucester
ProvinceCanterbury

History

The church nave, chancel and central tower was built in 1160. In the 13th century the tower was removed and the roof raised adding a columbarium or dovecote.[2] A new three-stage tower was built in the 15th century.[2]

The parish is part of the Churn Valley benefice within the Diocese of Gloucester.[3]

In 2017 an "eco-loo" or composting toilet was installed and opened by the Bishop of Tewkesbury.[4]

Architecture

The limestone building has stone slate roofs. It consists of a nave, Chancel, sputh porch and west tower. The columbarium has pigeon holes in the north and east walls.[1]

Some of the arches and vaults provide import remnants of Romanesque architecture. The south doorway of the nave has a Norman tympanum with a carving of a seated Christ on a cushioned throne, holding the Book of Judgement in his left hand and giving a blessing with his right.[5][6] The chancel arch has a Norman chevron pattern.[7]

The tower houses six bells with the oldest dating from 1657.[2] Around the church are a collection of gargoyles and grotesques.[8]

Inside the church are box pews and a wooden Jacobean hexagonal pulpit dating from 1609.[2][9][1]

References
  1. "Church of St. John the Evangelist". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. "Church of St John the Evangelist". Elkstone village. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  3. "Elkstone parish church". A Church Near You. Church of England. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. "Bishop of Tewkesbury to open eco-loo at Elkstone Church". Diocese of Gloucester. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  5. "St John the Evangelist, Elkstone, Gloucestershire". The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  6. Lees, Hilary (1998). Porch and pew: Small churches of the Cotswolds. Walnut Tree. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0948251924.
  7. Ross, David. "Elkstone, Gloucestershire, St John the Evangelist Church". Britain Express. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  8. "Elkstone". Great English Churches. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  9. "Church of St John the Evangelist, Elkstone, Gloucestershire". English Churches. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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