Church of St John the Baptist

Church of St John the Baptist

Parish church with a 15th century tower, and nave and chancel rebuilt in 1887–8 by the architects Bodley and Garner, with later 20th century additions. The building is constructed in ashlar with slate and leaded roofs.

The plan consists of a two-stage west tower, a three-bay nave with north and south aisles, a two-bay chancel with an attached chapel to the north, and a hall also to the north. A deep moulded plinth runs throughout the building.

The tower has two tall stages separated by a chamfered band, with full-height stepped diagonal buttresses on all sides. The west face features a small ovolo-moulded pointed doorway with hoodmould, beneath a large three-light pointed window with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould. A small stair window sits to the right. The bell stage is lit by pointed two-light louvred openings with Perpendicular tracery set in cavetto-moulded surrounds with hoodmoulds; clockfaces are positioned below the north and south openings. An eaves stringcourse with two gargoyles on the north and south sides leads to embattled parapets with corner and central piers topped by steeple finials.

The north aisle has three pointed windows: a three-light four-centred arched window with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould to the west, and two similar windows beyond a pointed moulded doorcase on the north side. Gableted buttresses separate the bays and turn the corners. Beyond the aisle to the east stands a chapel with a projecting parapeted roof supported on a plain corbel table and a similar two-light window below. A rendered gabled bay and a 20th century hall extend further east.

The east elevation of the chancel displays a three-light pointed window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould, the stops block-like in form, flanked by stepped angle buttresses. The south elevation has two similar windows. The south aisle contains pointed windows with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmoulds: three-lights to the east, and two windows of two lights and one of three lights to the south, all separated by stepped gableted buttresses. Between the western windows is an inset stone sundial dated 1831. A gabled porch to the west has a pointed moulded doorway with hoodmould beneath a niche containing a statue, flanked by short diagonal buttresses. The porch features a coved eaves stringcourse and embattled parapets with triangular-section pilasters topped by crockets marking each bay. The west wall of the aisle contains a flat-headed three-light window with cusped semi-circular headed lights, and stone above dated 1659. A moulded pointed inner south door with hoodmould provides secondary entry.

The interior is defined by four-bay north and south arcades with moulded pointed arches. The south arcade stands on octagonal piers decorated with trefoil motifs at their tops and moulded capitals. The north arcade rises on quatrefoil piers with hollow chamfers between four attached shafts, also with moulded capitals. A tall tower arch with continuous double chamfering leads to a moulded pointed chancel arch on octagonal responds with moulded capitals. A similar pointed arch connects the north aisle to the north chapel. Between the chancel and north chapel is a two-bay arcade with low pointed arches resting on a central octagonal pier, and carved corbel responds. Cusped braced roofs sit on carved corbels throughout.

The furnishings include an early 20th century carved timber altar, altar rails, choir stalls and pulpit. A marble font of circa 1867 has a circular bowl supported on a stem of four colonnettes, beneath a weighted carved cover. Several wall monuments survive, including a stone plaque to William Head dated 1735 and a brass plaque of circa 1683 to the chancel; a similar brass of circa 1792 to William Hodgkinson is positioned near the tower arch. A stone plaque in the north aisle dates to circa 1726. A fine late 17th century stone monument in a moulded aedicule, supported by a winged skull and surmounted by a segmental pediment with a central angel's head, bears an illegible inscription. Late 19th century stained glass illuminates the chancel.