St John the Baptist, Chipping Barnet - the old C15 nave

St John the Baptist, Chipping Barnet - the old C15 nave
Originally uploaded by ChurchCrawler

14th April 2007 and a trip to watch Barnet play Bristol Rovers.
St John's Church stands in the fork of the main road at the top of the hill from the stadium at Underhill and the station, and from here appears entirely C19, and I guessed the work of William Butterfield (which it is!).
However this is a medieval site, and Butterfield added a new nave chancel and south aisle onto the existing medieval church which survives as the north aisle and outer aisle. The former west tower and chancel were pulled down, and a new tower built at the west end of the Victorian nave. The north arcade is the Perp. south arade with the clerestory above now unglazed and entirely an internal feature. It survives on the north side and the church was not a bad size before extension.
Some stone fragements are built into the new tower and in the south chapel is a splendid canopied tomb chest and effigy to Thomas Ravenscroft d1630, the figure carved from a single block of pink alabaster. Elaborate vaulting to the canopy.