The church of St John the Baptist at Whitbourne is one of a group of six parishes which make up the Parish of Greater Whitbourne
The church of St John the Baptist at Whitbourne is one of a group of six parishes which make up the Parish of Greater Whitbourne, situated in beautiful countryside in the North East of the County of Herefordshire. Bounded on the East by the River Teme and on the South by Bringsty Common, the western part consists of sparsely populated farmland, while Whitbourne itself is a large village, many of whose inhabitants are connected with farming, and some of whom work in Worcester or Birmingham. The tower was finished in the 15th century. The lychgate was built in the 16th century, timber framed on six oak posts with a sandstone roof. The old parish bier is still stored in the rafters. The porch was erected in 1887, the doorway carved by a Hereford Cathedral stonemason about 1180 with intricate carvings. The font is 12th century, carved in the emblem of St John the Baptist. The reredos is of vitreous tiling and mosaic installed in memory of baronet Sir Rihard Harrington, made by James Powell and Sons of Whitefriars and influenced by pre-Raphaelite styles and the Arts and Craft Movement. It was renovated and restored in 2007. The structure of the nave roof reminds us of a ship – trussed rafters with two collars from the Tudor period. It has a ring of six bells (with a tenor of cwt.), plus a Sanctus bell. The present cast iron frame, installed in 1908, lasted a hundred years – a crack was found in January 2009, resulting in the bells being pronounced dangerous to ring. The crack has now been repaired, but some doubt remains about the condition of the beams below the frame. They are rung, but only occasionally. The largest of the six churches, it once served Whitbourne Court, one of the Summer Palaces of the Bishop of Hereford in days gone by. It still has a small choir, and a faithful army of cleaners and flower-arrangers. The ring of six bells (now rung using an electronic device) date from 1717, and there is an unusual combination of windows in the South Wall.
Size: 4000px × 6000px
Location: Whitbourne, Herefordshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Philip Chapman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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