Old Church of St John Baptist is a Grade II* listed building in the Wyre local planning authority area, England. First listed on 17 April 1967. A Georgian Church.

Old Church of St John Baptist

WRENN ID
plain-postern-rain
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Wyre
Constituency
Lancaster and Wyre MP: Cat Smith (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
17 April 1967
Type
Church
Period
Georgian
Address
Old Church of St John Baptist, School Lane, Pilling
OS grid reference
SD 402 484
Coordinates
53.92898, -2.91109
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old Church of St. John Baptist is a church built in 1717, with early 19th-century alterations. It is constructed of squared red sandstone, rendered on the north, east, and west sides, featuring a plinth, chamfered quoins, and other dressings made of grey sandstone. The roof is slate. The south wall consists of five bays, with windows that have plain stone surrounds, semi-circular heads, keystones, and impost blocks, along with a central chamfered mullion. The west bay contains a shorter window above the door, made of a redder stone and lacking a mullion. The door features a plain stone surround with a semi-circular head, and the imposts are carved with crute Ionic volutes, while the keystone is inscribed with "1717." Above the door is a sandstone sundial plaque that reads, "Thus ETERNITY approacheth. G. Holden 1766." The east window resembles those on the south but includes two chamfered mullions. The west gable has a bellcote with segmental coping, likely from the early 19th century. The north wall also has five bays and was probably altered in the early 19th century when a gallery was added. The lower windows feature rebated and chamfered jambs with flat lintels of red sandstone, while above them are lunette windows with plain stone surrounds and keystones.

Inside, there is a flat plaster ceiling and an early 19th-century gallery on the north and west sides, supported by timber Tuscan columns and featuring a front of raised panels in grained timber. Fixed oak benches with simple plank seats and backs appear to be original. In the northeast corner, there are three box pews with raised panels, one inscribed with "17 IA 19" on the door. A two-decker pulpit has similar panelling. In the northwest corner are two box pews made of grained timber. The communion table is surrounded by railings with turned balusters. The 18th-century sandstone font is shaped like an urn. The church was replaced by the new Church of St. John in 1887, making it an unusual survival of a small Georgian church.

Local climate

Old Church of St John Baptist sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,400 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 97% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 18 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 83% of listed buildings. Of these, 7 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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