St. John the Baptist's Church in Staveley

 

A general view of the Church of St. John the Baptist

When setting out to photograph the historic architecture of Staveley for the British Listed Buildings website, knowing that this town is best known for its former coal mining and iron and chemical industries, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had an attractive Conservation Area – at the heart of which is the Grade II* Listed Church of St. John the Baptist.

The north elevation

Viewing the church from the rear of Staveley Hall, the north elevation is dominated by the 7 bay north aisle and the extended chancel, which were built by Sir George Gilbert Scott (1865-69) and completely overshadow the four stage mediaeval tower.

 

The north elevation of the tower

 

Historic England describe the lowest two stages as C13, with C15 Perpendicular Gothic style upper stages and also, very surprisingly, the official listing stated that the upper stages were built out of light grey York stone, when it is so obviously dolomitic limestone from the Permian Cadeby Formation – still probably best known as Magnesian Limestone. 

 

A view of the upper stages of the tower from the south

I duly commented on the official list entry to this effect but, much to my dismay, despite mentioning my expertise in identifying building stone and considerable experience of historic buildings in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, built in both Carboniferous sandstone and Permian limestone, the entry was merely altered to "pale grey stone" and the church website continues to describe it as “light York stone”. 

 

A buttress on the north aisle

Making a reasonable assumption that the sandstone used for the lower sections of the tower is locally quarried from the Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation, I didn’t inspect this closely but did have a better look at the masonry added during Scott’s ‘restoration’, where the walling is a uniformly yellowish coloured plane bedded, medium grained sandstone laid in thin courses, with buff medium/coarse grained sandstone used for the dressings. 

 

A detail of the masonry on the north asle

 

The dressings look like they could have have come from the Ashover Grit in the Derwent valley, which would have been accessible by train via the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which connected at Ambergate; however, the walling stone for the north aisle is not familiar to me but it looks like a Coal Measures sandstone, which could have been moved along the Chesterfield Canal. 

 

The east end

 

Moving clockwise past the chancel, the east elevation of the C17 south chapel displays yet another sandstone, which has a pink tinge and is cross-bedded, with a buff coloured medium grained sandstone used to repair several blocks. 

 

The east end of the south aisle

On its south elevation, this sandstone has been used to reface large sections of the parapets, the plinth and window surrounds, with a pink, cross-bedded course grained sandstone used to replace large sections of the ashlar masonry - a stone that reminds me of the Dukes sandstone, which is quarried in Whatstandwell near Matlock. 

 

Renewed masonry on the south chapel

Continuing westward along the south elevation, the south aisle dates to the C14, but the outer face was apparently refaced in the C15, presumably with the windows replaced at this time, and between the two windows to the left side is a curious diagonal buttress. 

 

The south aisle

 

The porch is also the work of Scott, in the same yellow sandstone used for the north aisle and chancel, with buff medium/coarse grained for the dressings and to the west of this the south aisle has has either been or extended or rebuilt in the same walling stone. 

 

The south elevation

Looking up at the tower, the embattled parapet and small corner pinnacles are built in sandstone, which the listing description was added in 1681, but on the north side of the tower these are dolomitic limestone, which suggests that these replaced C15 details and were not an addition. 

 

The south elevation of the tower

 

I finished my walk around its exterior at the west side of the tower, where there is a C13 door with two orders of continuous roll moulding, above which is a restored lancet window and a narrower lancet on the second stage.

 

The west door