Church Of St John

The Church of St John, built in 1842, was financed by the Bowling Iron Company and features extensive use of iron in its structure. The architects were R H and S Sharpe from York, with assistance from Fred Stott, the works engineer at the Bowling foundry. The church's exterior is made of sandstone "brick" with ashlar dressings, and it includes shallow aisles and transepts, along with a prominent west tower. The design is in a simple Early English lancet Gothic style. The tower has angle buttresses and consists of three stages, featuring twin lancets at the top bell stage, a machicolated parapet with corner pinnacles, and an octagonal stone spire. The west door at the base of the tower is shafted and has a drip mould on carved stops. Inside, the framework is entirely made of cast iron, with slender clustered shafts and ribs supporting the vault. The church was repaired at the end of the 19th century, and a triple shafted lancet group forms the east window. The tower serves as a prominent landmark.