St. John, Whitton, Lincolnshire

I Location

Site Location: Whitton
National Grid Reference: SE 902 245
County: traditional: Lincolnshire
now: Lincolnshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Lincoln
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St John
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

Dramatically situated overlooking the Humber, this small church consists of a W tower, nave, and chancel with a S chapel. The nave is only 6.7 m wide and 11.3 m in length. Major renovations by W. and C. A. Bassett Smith took place between 1892-97. The large W tower arch leading into the nave is Romanesque.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Tower arch

W arch

: Nave, W tower arch, E face.

: Nave, arch, S side, detail.

: Nave, S impost, detail.

: Nave, W tower arch, W face, N impost.

Round headed, single order.

Jambs are plain. Imposts have roll mould along bottom edge and running vertically at the corners; this is on both the W and E sides as will as along the depth of the imposts. There is a slightly different treatment of the roll on the S side where the vertical roll extends through the horizontal roll to the bottom of the corner; on the N side the vertical roll is continuous with the horizontal roll. The arch is plain on both sides. The label is chamfered and is only on the E side of the arch

Dimensions

w. of opening	1.80 m
h. of opening	2.93 m
d. of opening	1.05 m

VII History

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but no church is recorded.

VIII Comments/Opinions

This roll moulding on impost blocks is unusual in the county and seems at odds with the simplicity of the arch here. Viewed from the W, the label aligns with the edge on the impost on the S side on the arch, but not with the edge of the impost on the N side of the arch. This raises the possibility that the imposts may be renovation interventions.

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner,The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. London, 1990, 797.