| Inglesham
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| St. John the Baptist |
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| Drawn by: Madeline Newton. |
| This CHURCH has remained substantially unaltered, so far as its structure is concerned, since the early 16th century, although the exterior shows evidence of repairs over the past two centuries at least. |
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| Within
the essential arrangement of the fittings is probably as it was in
Cromwell’s time. It is, therefore, a most unusual survival. This was
recognised by William Morris, among other things founder of the Society
for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, who lived nearby at Kelmscott.
Under J.T. Micklethwaite the SPAB paid for and controlled extensive
repairs to the roofs between 1886 and 1900. This work saved the building
and must be one of the first major practical expressions of the Society’s
views on repair. The scrupulous and exemplary quality of this work
could not have been achieved without the almost daily supervision
of the Reverend Basil Hawkins Birchall of Buscot, who acted virtually
as clerk of works here for SPAB over all those years. |
| The proportion and height of the nave, together with its relatively thin walls, suggest a late Saxon origin. |
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| Move to page 2 |
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