St John the Baptist, Coln St Aldwyns

St John the Baptist stands on Church Lane at the west end of Coln St Aldwyns, a stone village on the River Coln. It is a late twelfth-century church, heavily restored in the 1850s and 1860s, with a Norman doorway, a carved demon and windows remembering John Keble, the vicar, and his son, the poet and churchman. It is listed Grade II*.

History

St John the Baptist is a Norman church that the Victorians remade inside. Historic England's listing dates the nave to the late twelfth century, the chancel and the tower to the thirteenth, the belfry to the fifteenth, and an extensive restoration to 1853 to 1868. In the later twelfth century it was St Athelwine's; the Victoria County History says the dedication changed to St John the Baptist after 1535, and A Church Near You gives it as the beheading of St John the Baptist.

The Kebles

The church's best-known clergy were a father and son of the same name. The elder John Keble was vicar here from 1782 until his death in 1835, about 40 years, and his son John, the poet of The Christian Year and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England, was his curate from 1825 to 1835. Keble College in Oxford was founded in the son's memory. Before that, by the Victoria County History's account, the younger Keble was curate of the Eastleaches, a few miles east, from 1815 to 1825; there Keble's Bridge crosses the Leach.

The St Aldwyns

In 1917 the chancel was refitted in memory of the first Earl St Aldwyn, his son Viscount Quenington and the viscount's wife, Marjorie, all of whom died in 1916. The panelling there, much of it linenfold, is part of that work.

What to look for

Start at the south doorway, the oldest work, restored but still with deeply undercut orders of chevrons on keeled shafts with waterleaf capitals, a hoodmould ending in beasts' heads and an ancient plank door with early ironwork. To the right of the porch, a small blocked twelfth-century window carries a carved head showing a demon chasing a man.

Then look up at the tower, on the south side of the church. Its second stage is said to carry the initials of John de Gamages, abbot of Gloucester from 1284 to 1306, and its pierced parapet has corner pinnacles and grotesque heads on each face.

Inside, the listing calls the church dark and plain after the restoration. Look for:

• The east windows by Powell, which remember the elder John Keble's time as vicar
• More glass by Powell and Sons of 1854 to 1856, and a north window by Wailes of Newcastle
• A two-tiered chandelier of about 1767
• The octagonal font of the nineteenth century, with a Greek palindrome cut into its base, a phrase that reads the same backwards
• The linenfold panelling of the chancel

Outside, several of the churchyard monuments are listed in their own right, and a gateway in the churchyard wall leads to Coln Manor.

Visiting

A Church Near You says the church is open to visitors during daylight hours, with guidebooks; call 01285 740301 before a special trip. Refreshments follow the Sunday morning communion, and the bell ringers practise on Monday evenings from 6.30pm. The church has a hearing loop and welcomes assistance dogs.

Getting there

There is no car park. The church's page on A Church Near You says it is often easier to park near Coln Stores and walk along Church Lane (GL7 5AG), past the cemetery and the almshouses; the path to the church is on the right, through the War Memorial Arch.

On foot, Coln St Aldwyns and Bibury, a 6.5-mile (10.6km) circular walk, starts at Coln Community Stores on Main Street, a few minutes from the church, and follows the River Coln upstream to Bibury.

Nearby

The New Inn and Coln Community Stores are in the middle of the village. Across the river, Quenington has the Knights Hospitallers' Gateway, St Swithin's Church and the Keepers Arms. Upstream at Bibury is St Mary's Church. Our guide to the Coln valley covers the villages.