St Johns The Baptist Church, Handsacre

The original church was built in 1160 in a romanesque style but some people viewed the original church as somewhat ruinous state , the church was rebuilt in 1845 as a exact replica or the original building but was enlarged by the addition of a south ailse to match the north ailse of the chancel, the north ailse was built in 1860.

View of Church

When the church removed the clock from the tower they found a date 1860 carved in to the south face and the 3 bells in the tower date 1720, 3 more bells were added in 2001.

The Tower

In the north ailse Josiah Spode lV installed the Samuel Green organ (built in 1790), having brought it from the Lichield Cathedral, it is now subject of extensive study as it is the largest 18th century catherdral organ to survive in the country, a proposal has been placed forward to to restore it.

The font is beleived to be dated around 10th century and some people have expressed the view that it began as a pagan object The font is a savagely magnificent example of early Romanesque figure carving; perhaps the finest and certainly the most alien-looking piece of medieval sculpture in the county

Located at the W end of the S aisle. The bowl is a lead-lined cylinder of grey sandstone, slightly tapering inwards towards the bottom. It stands on a 19thc. cylindrical shaft and a chamfered octagonal base and has a modern step to the W for the priest. The bowl is carved in relief with arcading in seven bays. The arches are round and decorated with a row of beading. They are supported on fictive shafts decorated with single-strand cable carrying multi-scallop capitals. The cable twist alternates in direction to provide symmetrical frames for each bay composition (except for bay 7 - the odd number of bays makes this inevitable). Each bay contains a pair of frontal figures in bold relief, carved to almost fill the available space. Their heads are oversized, and their bodies or garments unarticulated except for surface detail, like Romanesque chessmen, although in most case hands are shown, and in some cases small feet too. They all have large bulging almond-shaped eyes, drilled for pupils, and most are shown with a distinct philtrum on the upper lip. In the descriptions that follow, bays are numbered from left to right starting at the E.

The condition of the font is generally good. Both upper and lower rims are irregularly worn, but the upper is largely obscured by the lining. There is a deep groove in the upper party of the bowl, between bays 7 and 1.

Dimensions

Bay 1 (E)

The L figure, possibly a cleric, has a relatively small head on a columnar neck (he is the only figure on the font with a neck), and wears a short tunic from which his lower legs and feet appear, and over this a heavy cloak or cope decorated overall with parallel reeding. On his head he wears a cap made in left and right halves with raised borders. His hands are shown clasped at his chest. He turns slightly away from his grotesque companion, pressed up against him, who has an enormous egg-like head and no neck, hair shown in oblique zigzags, fleshy, creased cheeks and a downturned mouth. His feet protrude from a heavy cloak decorated with fleshy foliage stems, and his hands are shown pressed against his stomach.

Bay 2

The two figures are similar in proportions. The L has a cap similar to the L figure of bay 1, but with borders decorated with drill holes. He wears a cope or cloak over a long tunic, both decorated with cross-hatching. His R hand lies across his stomach and his L is raised to his chin. The R figure has a cap with a brow band decorated with drill holes. He has a long pointed beard and a moustache and holds his hands across his stomach with fingers touching. His cloak is decorated with parallel grooves and cross-hatching. No feet are shown on either figure.

Bay 3

The two figures are similar in proportions. The L figure has a cap similar to that worn by the L figure in bay 2. His mouth is small and slightly open. His drapery is articulated with parallel vertical reeding. His R hand grips the cloak at his breast, while his L gestures upwards. This hand apparently emerges from a sleeve, articulated with cross-hatching and sketchy folds, but extending right down to the hem of the cloak. No feet are shown. The R figure wears a cap with a drilled brow band and has a thin mouth in the form of a double bow, like a cat's. He also has a wavy chin beard. He wears a long belted tunic, the lower part with parallel vertical reeding, and the upper with symmetrical obliquereeding on either side and a central double band or hem. His hands are held vertically, backs forward (i.e. thumbs out) against his chest. No feet are shown on either figure.

Bay 4

Two very simple figures of similar proportions, both with simple peg doll-like bodies and no hands or feet shown. The L figure has hair shown as nested vees with their angles running back down the centre of the crown. His mouth is downturned. His tunic has vertical parallel reeding and a border decorated with drill holes. The R figure's hair is combed straight back, shown by parallel reeding. His mouth is open but bifurcated; the lips meeting in the middle. His tunic is decorated with curved nested-vee reeding, the angles running up the front centre. No feet are shown on either figure.

Bay 5

The L figure has a doll-like face with nested-vee hair as bay 4, L figure and a small mouth, slightly open. The cloak has borders richly decorated with zigzag and nebuly grooves, and is otherwise decorated with parallel reeding. The hands are raised to touch the jaw. No feet are shown on this figure. The impression, to the modern viewer, is of shock or surprise. The R figure has an even larger head than usual here, with a wide open mouth and eyebrows decorated with oblique ridges. The body may be naked; it is articulated in large, smooth sections. The hands are clasped together over the stomach. An elongated feature hanging down below the hands may be a penis. He sits on a stool, rectangular in shape with a central boss or pellet.

Bay 6

Two more peg-doll figures like those in bay 4. The L wears a crown with a band of leaf forms and spiral terminals above a fillet decorated with drill holes. The face is solemn with a closed mouth and large lips, and hands to the throat. The figure wears a richly ornamented cloak, decorated with a pattern of overlapping scales. The R figure has hair decorated with cross hatching and a long handlebar moustache. His tunic is not belted but the upper and lower parts are differently treated; the upper with cross-hatching with raised fields, and the lower with vertical reeding. No feet are shown on either figure.

Bay 7

The L figure is the only unambiguous female; indicated by long plaits of hair that cross at around waist level and continue to the ground. The face is remarkable for the long upper lip, the garments are unmarked by any ornament, and no hands are shown. Her companion is a king with a crown decorated with a zigzag above a fillet decorated with drill holes, and a large handlebar moustache. Again, no hands are shown, and his body is dominated by a large saltire cross formed of two pairs of three bands of beading,interlaced where they intersect. No feet are shown on either figure