Church Of St John The Baptist

Anglican church located in the parish of Dethick, Lea and Holloway. The west tower dates to 1530, while the main body of the church originates from the 13th century, with subsequent additions and alterations. It is constructed of ashlar and coursed rubble gritstone, with a shallow-pitched lead roof.

The west tower, in three stages, rises from a two-stage moulded plinth and incorporates diagonal stepped buttresses with set-offs, culminating in a moulded string course beneath an ashlar crenellated parapet with moulded merlons. A tall, polygonal stair turret with a crenellated parapet adjoins the tower at the south-east corner. The west face of the tower contains a doorway with a four-centred arch, a moulded flat head, and a stepped hoodmould above an inscribed plaque bearing the date 1530. Above the first floor string course, two tiers of late Perpendicular style three-light windows are set beneath pointed arched heads with hoodmoulds that have stops. The upper openings are blind. A deep, decorated frieze band below the bell stage displays carved heraldic shields of the Babingtons and related families, commemorating the tower's construction by Sir Anthony Babington. This frieze is delineated by projecting continuous mouldings. Above the frieze are two-light belfry windows with a single chamfer to the surrounds. A moulded string course and an ashlar crenellated parapet complete the tower’s upper section.

The south wall has a simple pointed arched doorway with a hoodmould, a single pointed arched window with a hoodmould and stops, and a three-light cusped, hooded window within a chamfered square-headed surround at the chancel end. The clerestory, constructed in ashlar, is separated from the lower rubble walls by a chamfered string course, and features four two-light windows with cinquefoil heads within chamfered square-headed surrounds. A shallow parapet extends above the nave and chancel, above a chamfered string course. The east window is a three-light 'Y' tracery window beneath a hoodmould with stops, set within a simply chamfered surround. The north wall includes three two-light clerestory windows and a single ground floor pointed arched light beneath a hoodmould. A shallow, lean-to roof is present towards the west end. The interior is plain, with a narrow pointed arch leading to the tower. The spine beams have stop-chamfered details with run-out stops.