diff --git a/spring-jms/src/main/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplate.java b/spring-jms/src/main/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplate.java
index 4e139446c6e..6a281ec096f 100644
--- a/spring-jms/src/main/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplate.java
+++ b/spring-jms/src/main/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplate.java
@@ -194,11 +194,10 @@ public class JmsMessagingTemplate
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	public <T> T receiveAndConvert(String destinationName, Class<T> targetClass) throws MessagingException {
 		Message<?> message = doReceive(destinationName);
 		if (message != null) {
-			return (T) getMessageConverter().fromMessage(message, targetClass);
+			return doConvert(message, targetClass);
 		}
 		else {
 			return null;
diff --git a/spring-jms/src/test/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplateTests.java b/spring-jms/src/test/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplateTests.java
index b3e1ed403c2..9b3ede44fdd 100644
--- a/spring-jms/src/test/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplateTests.java
+++ b/spring-jms/src/test/java/org/springframework/jms/messaging/JmsMessagingTemplateTests.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import javax.jms.Session;
 import javax.jms.TextMessage;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
-import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.rules.ExpectedException;
@@ -326,12 +325,11 @@ public class JmsMessagingTemplateTests {
 	}
 
 	@Test
-	@Ignore("SPR-11817")
 	public void receiveAndConvertNoConverter() {
 		javax.jms.Message jmsMessage = createJmsTextMessage("Hello");
 		given(jmsTemplate.receive("myQueue")).willReturn(jmsMessage);
 
-		thrown.expect(MessageConversionException.class);
+		thrown.expect(org.springframework.messaging.converter.MessageConversionException.class);
 		messagingTemplate.receiveAndConvert("myQueue", Writer.class);
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/AbstractMessageReceivingTemplate.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/AbstractMessageReceivingTemplate.java
index 55c4bc9849e..2debce8b6c0 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/AbstractMessageReceivingTemplate.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/AbstractMessageReceivingTemplate.java
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package org.springframework.messaging.core;
 
 import org.springframework.messaging.Message;
+import org.springframework.messaging.converter.MessageConversionException;
+import org.springframework.messaging.converter.MessageConverter;
 
 /**
  * An extension of {@link AbstractMessageSendingTemplate} that adds support for
@@ -53,11 +55,23 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageReceivingTemplate<D> extends AbstractMessag
 	public <T> T receiveAndConvert(D destination, Class<T> targetClass) {
 		Message<?> message = doReceive(destination);
 		if (message != null) {
-			return (T) getMessageConverter().fromMessage(message, targetClass);
+			return doConvert(message, targetClass);
 		}
 		else {
 			return null;
 		}
 	}
 
+	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+	protected <T> T doConvert(Message<?> message, Class<T> targetClass) {
+		MessageConverter messageConverter = getMessageConverter();
+		T value = (T) messageConverter.fromMessage(message, targetClass);
+		if (value == null) {
+			throw new MessageConversionException("Unable to convert payload='"
+					+ message.getPayload() + "' to type='" + targetClass
+					+ "', converter=[" + messageConverter + "]");
+		}
+		return value;
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/test/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/MessageReceivingTemplateTests.java b/spring-messaging/src/test/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/MessageReceivingTemplateTests.java
index 688b9c80a48..29260dc4823 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/test/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/MessageReceivingTemplateTests.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/test/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/MessageReceivingTemplateTests.java
@@ -17,13 +17,23 @@
 package org.springframework.messaging.core;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.rules.ExpectedException;
+
+import org.springframework.core.convert.ConversionFailedException;
+import org.springframework.core.convert.support.DefaultConversionService;
 import org.springframework.messaging.Message;
+import org.springframework.messaging.converter.GenericMessageConverter;
+import org.springframework.messaging.converter.MessageConversionException;
 import org.springframework.messaging.support.GenericMessage;
 
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.isA;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
 
+import java.io.Writer;
+
 /**
  * Unit tests for receiving operations in {@link AbstractMessagingTemplate}.
  *
@@ -33,6 +43,9 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
  */
 public class MessageReceivingTemplateTests {
 
+	@Rule
+	public final ExpectedException thrown = ExpectedException.none();
+
 	private TestMessagingTemplate template;
 
 
@@ -88,6 +101,29 @@ public class MessageReceivingTemplateTests {
 		assertSame("payload", payload);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void receiveAndConvertFailed() {
+		Message<?> expected = new GenericMessage<Object>("not a number test");
+		this.template.setReceiveMessage(expected);
+		this.template.setMessageConverter(new GenericMessageConverter(new DefaultConversionService()));
+
+		thrown.expect(MessageConversionException.class);
+		thrown.expectCause(isA(ConversionFailedException.class));
+		this.template.receiveAndConvert("somewhere", Integer.class);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void receiveAndConvertNoConverter() {
+		Message<?> expected = new GenericMessage<Object>("payload");
+		this.template.setDefaultDestination("home");
+		this.template.setReceiveMessage(expected);
+		this.template.setMessageConverter(new GenericMessageConverter(new DefaultConversionService()));
+
+		thrown.expect(MessageConversionException.class);
+		thrown.expectMessage("payload");
+		this.template.receiveAndConvert(Writer.class);
+	}
+
 
 
 	private static class TestMessagingTemplate extends AbstractMessagingTemplate<String> {