Radclive

187. RADCLIVE.

(O.S. 6 in. ^(a)xiii. N.W. ^(b)xiii. S.W.)

Ecclesiastical

^b(1). Parish Church of St. John the Evangelist, stands in the village; the walls of the chancel and the S. wall of the nave are of regularly squared and coursed stone; the walls of the tower and the N. wall of the nave are of coursed limestone rubble; the porch, originally of wood, is cased in stone and plaster. The roofs are covered with tiles and with lead. The Nave is possibly of late 12th-century date; the Chancel was re-built c. 1240. In the first half of the 14th century the West Tower was added, and the nave was much altered and partly re-built. In the 15th or 16th century a South Porch was added. In 1903 the whole church was restored.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (19½ ft. by 17½ ft.) has an E. window of two cinque-foiled lights with a quatrefoil under a pointed head and moulded external label; the opening is apparently made up of 13th-century material re-used, but the tracery and external stonework are of the 15th century; below the window are external and internal string-courses of the 13th century; above it, set in the walling, is the pointed head of a lancet light, formed of two stones. In the N. wall, at the E. end, is a window of c. 1240 and of two lancet lights with chamfered jambs and heads, under a two-centred rear arch; externally the lights are rebated and have linked labels with mask-stops. In the S. wall, at the W. end, is a window similar to that in the N. wall, but with small corbel-capitals of rough design at the springing of the rear arch; E. of the window is a small doorway, also of c. 1240. The two-centred chancel arch is of two chamfered orders and of the 15th century, except the jambs, which are of c. 1200, re-set, and have shafts with enriched capitals; the S. capital is carved with foliated ornament, the N. capital with a crude palmette design; the W. edges of the jambs are decorated with cheveron ornament. High up in the wall above the chancel arch are set voussoirs of the arch of c. 1200, decorated with cheveron ornament; another voussoir and some corbels are set in the wall immediately above the arch, and were intended apparently to support the rood-loft. The Nave (33 ft. by 17½ ft.) has, in the N. wall, two windows; the eastern is of early 14th-century date and of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head formed of a single stone; the western window is of about the same date as the other, and is of two trefoiled lights with tracery under a square head; the heads of the lights and the tracery are cut from a single piece of red sandstone. In the S. wall, at the E. end, is a late 15th-century window of three trefoiled lights with a deep external reveal and a pointed head; instead of a rear arch there is a cambered wooden lintel: the S. doorway, of c. 1200, has been re-set and considerably altered; the two-centred head is of three moulded orders, the outer order is decorated with elaborate zig-zag ornament, and the label with dog-tooth ornament; the two outer orders of the jambs have detached shafts with foliated capitals of 13th-century character, moulded bands and moulded bases; the innermost order has edge-rolls with water-leaf capitals of earlier type than the others: W. of the doorway are traces of a window, apparently modern, which lighted a former gallery. The West Tower (9 ft. by 8½ ft.) is of the 14th century and of unusually good proportions; it is of three stages, with an embattled parapet, diagonal W. buttresses and a S.E. stair-turret which rises to the second stage, and is reduced in size by successive weatherings. The two-centred tower arch is of three chamfered orders, the two inner orders dying into the walls. The W. doorway has jambs and two-centred head of two moulded orders, and the W. window is of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; in the S.E. angle, opening into the staircase, is a small doorway with chamfered jambs and two-centred head. The N. and S. walls of the second stage have each a small window with a two centred head. The bell-chamber has, in each wall, a plain pointed light, chamfered and rebated. The South Porch consists of E. and W. walls; in each wall is part of the moulded wooden entrance archway of the 15th or 16th century, almost completely covered with plaster. The Roof of the nave is low-pitched, and the trusses are encased with boards, but the curved wall-brackets and wooden corbels are probably of late 16th-century date.

Fittings—Bells: three, 1st probably 17th-century; 2nd inscribed 'Sancte George Ora K V', by a Reading bell-founder, 16th-century; 3rd by Bartholomew Atton, 1594. Chest: In tower— large, of mahogany, with two drawers, fine brass handles, escutcheons and strapping, probably late 17th-century. Communion Table and Rails: table made up in front with two panels carved with grotesque caryatid figures, enriched mouldings, probably originally part of chest, late 16th or early 17th-century; rails with 'silhouette' balusters sawn from boards, pierced, early 17th-century. Font: plain, circular, with moulded base, c. 1200. Glass: In nave—in N.E. window, part of two canopies, fragments of figure, 14th-century, restored; foliated quarries, 15th-century; fragments of figures of the Virgin and Child, 14th-century; in N.W. window, fragments, quarries, etc., 14th-century. Niche: In nave—in E. wall, with moulded segmental head, 15th-century. Pulpit: Sounding-board, 17th-century, rest modern. Seating: In porch—two small benches with foliated poppy-head ends, brought from elsewhere, early 15th-century. Miscellanea: In chancel—in front of communion rails, moulded stone step, probably early 17th-century; in E. wall, at N. end, inscribed stones, (1) black-letter, 'Robertus Sch. . . . .', (2–4) names in Roman capitals, Elisha Shooke, a . . . . 1594', 'Robertus Fo . . ter', 'John Forster', and (5) small cross, stones probably re-used. In tower—on modern door of stair-turret, iron scutcheon and ring, 15th-century.

The Churchyard has, in the N. wall, opening into the grounds of the Manor House (see (2)), an early 17th-century doorway with moulded jambs and square head having a label, all of stone.

Condition—Very good.

Secular

^b(2). The Manor House, 50 yards S.W. of the church, is of two storeys and an attic, built of stone rubble and brick, c. 1621, the date on a stone panel in the E. wall, but subsequently much altered. The roofs are covered with tiles and slate. The house is part of a larger building, of which the original plan cannot be traced; early in the 19th century a large part was pulled down; it is said to have been at the S. end of the present house, which formerly extended also further towards the N., and now consists of an irregularly shaped block, facing W., the N. half being wider than the other. At the N. end is a dairy with a lean-to roof; it extends slightly towards the W. beyond the house, and has E. and W. walls of c. 1621; the N. wall is probably modern. On the ground floor the W. half of the house contains three rooms, that next to the dairy being the kitchen, apparently part of the original hall, with a screen at the S. end; the other two rooms are divided by an original chimney stack, and on the E. side a partition has been inserted in them to form a corridor. The E. half of the house is raised by three steps above the level of the rest of the building, and contains the staircase and four rooms; half the staircase and the two southern rooms are in the narrower part of the building.

The original screen in the kitchen is noteworthy.

The W. Elevation is quite plain; at the S. end is a gable with a modern bay window below it; most of the windows are of late 17th or early 18th-century date, with plain wooden frames, mullions and transoms; an early 17th-century window of three lights, with a moulded wooden frame, mullions and transom, has been altered to form a doorway, and is now covered by an outhouse; the original doorway which opened into the screens has been blocked; it has a moulded head and jambs of stone, and a rectangular label. The E. Elevation is less regular than the W. elevation, on account of the southern part setting back from the rest of the building; it has three gables, and the windows are of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries; under a window on the first floor is a stone panel with arabesque ornament, and the date 1621. The chimney stacks are of brick, and have square shafts set diagonally on rectangular plinths; the caps have been re-built.

Interior:—On the ground floor the kitchen is paved with black and white stones in diamond pattern; at the S. end of the room is an original wooden screen consisting of three moulded circular columns supporting a moulded cornice with curved spandrel-pieces. The dairy is paved with stones similar to those in the kitchen, but re-set square. The room E. of the kitchen is lined with bolection-moulded deal panelling, possibly of c. 1700; another room has panelling with butted mouldings, of early 17th-century date, re-set. The original staircase is carried up to the attic, and has plain newels with ball-finials and moulded handrail; instead of balusters it has octagonal, oval and star-shaped ornament formed by moulded bars, of design similar to that used for pierced parapets of the same date.

On the W. side of the house, and parallel with it, is a garden wall, with panelled and moulded gateposts of stone, which have ball-finials; E. of the house is another wall with similar but larger gateposts; the walls and posts are of early 17th-century date.

Condition—Good; much altered.

^b(3). The Grange, or Radclive Cottage, about 100 yards N.E. of the church, is a two-storeyed building, partly of stone rubble and brick, and partly timber-framed with brick filling; the roofs are tiled. The plan is L-shaped, the wings projecting towards the N.E. and S.W. The house was built probably late in the 16th century and was possibly of central chimney type, with the S.W. wing added in the 17th century; it was further altered and enlarged in the 18th and 19th centuries. The chimney stacks have been re-built. Interior:— The hall has a moulded ceiling-beam with a mason's joint about 2 ft. from the chimney stack, possibly indicating some arrangement of the plan of which no further trace remains.

Condition—Very good; much altered.

^b(4). Cottage, two tenements, 200 yards N.W. of the church, is of two storeys, built of stone and brick; the roof is tiled. The building is dated 1694, on a stone panel over the double doorway; it was altered and re-roofed in 1826. The chimney stacks are built of thin bricks.

Condition—Good.

Chackmore

Monuments (5–8)

These buildings are all of two storeys, with the upper storey partly in the roof; all of them, except one, are of rectangular plan and have remains of timber-framing, but have been much patched and re-built with brick. The roofs are thatched.

^a(5). Cottage, on the S. side of the main road, about 1¼ miles N.N.E. of the church. It was built c. 1600; the walls are low and of rough work.

Condition—Fairly good.

^a(6). The Post Office, on the N. side of the road, 60 yards N.E. of (5), is built of stone rubble. The plan is irregularly L-shaped; the longer wing faces the road and is of the 17th century; an extension, of one storey, has been added at the E. end; the shorter wing, at the back, is possibly also an addition. The chimney stack is of brick, with square shafts which have linked caps.

Condition—Fairly good.

^a(7). Cottage, about 250 yards E.N.E. of (6), on the same side of the road, was built in the 17th century. The heavy timber-framing has been partly covered with plaster. One chimney stack is original and has remains of a strip pilaster.

Condition—Poor.

^a(8). Cottage, 100 yards N. of (6), was built c. 1600, but the original timber-framing remains only in one wall and has wall-posts and diagonal braces.

Condition—Good, much re-built.