Project

Standing within an idyllic, pastoral landscape in Shobdon, the stone exterior of St. John the Evangelist Parish Church is deceptively humble compared to its dramatic interior of richly decorated finishes and matching furniture and fittings. (...)

Standing within an idyllic, pastoral landscape in Shobdon, the stone exterior of St. John the Evangelist Parish Church is deceptively humble compared to its dramatic interior of richly decorated finishes and matching furniture and fittings. Between 1755 and 1758, Sir John Bateman and his uncle, Richard Bateman, demolished all but the west tower of the twelfth-century Romanesque church on the site to build a rococo Gothic structure largely influenced by Horace Walpole’s “Committee of Taste.” This parish church has remained virtually unchanged since, though a lack of conservation attention has resulted in significant challenges. During a restoration campaign in 2003, workers discovered that the large concealed timbers embedded in the damp masonry have rotted, causing the walls to tip over and the beam ends to give way. Emergency supports were installed, but a comprehensive intervention is necessary to mitigate these structural problems.