Church Of St John The Baptist

This parish church is a substantial medieval building with architectural elements spanning from the mid-12th century through the 15th century, comprehensively restored in 1860. It is constructed of limestone ashlar and coursed ironstone rubble with some render, beneath lead and plain tile roofs with stone coped gables and cross finials. The church comprises a west porch, nave with north and south aisles, crossing tower, and chancel.

West Porch and West Front

The mid-15th century gabled west porch features a moulded plinth and pointed west doorway with a moulded head of two orders, triple rolled jambs with filleted central rolls, a hood mould, and head label stops. The north and south sides of the porch each contain a pair of unglazed windows with flattened triangular heads, two cusped pointed lights, and panel tracery. The interior has flanking stone benches, and to the east of each window is a single full-length ogee headed blind traceried panel. Slender roll mouldings flanking the windows run down to bench level. The interior west doorway is late 13th century with a pointed head and continuous, richly moulded surround, fitted with a fine 14th century door featuring six pointed blind traceried cusped lights, panel tracery, and a central small ogee headed wicket door.

The 15th century west front is defined by four-stage buttresses and clasped by 15th century north and south aisles with moulded plinth and string courses and three-stage angle buttresses with upper gabled set-offs. Above the porch is a large pointed window with four ogee headed cusped lights, a castellated transom, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops. The west fronts of both aisles each have a single pointed window with three cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, and head and animal label stops.

North Aisle

The north aisle has moulded plinth and string courses with regularly placed three-stage buttresses having upper gabled set-offs. The westernmost pointed window has a richly moulded surround, three cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops. Moving east, a doorway with pointed head features a continuous richly moulded surround, hood mould, head label stops, and a panelled door. Two windows to the east both have pointed heads, richly moulded surrounds, three cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood moulds, and head label stops. Beyond these is a broader window with a flattened triangular head, richly moulded surround, four cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops. The east end of the aisle contains a single pointed window with richly moulded surround, three ogee headed cusped lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops.

The 15th century clerestory above features four windows with flattened triangular heads, two cusped ogee headed lights, and hood moulds running into string courses. Moulded eaves finish the wall above.

Crossing Tower

The crossing tower was begun in the mid-14th century and raised in the 15th century, with narrow angle buttresses. The west side has an ogee headed doorway with an ogee shaped hood mould and plank door, with a clock above. The north side features a pointed window with two cusped pointed lights with a quatrefoil and hood mould running into a string course on either side, with two pointed cusped lights one above the other above it. The east side has two similar windows, one above the other. The south side has a polygonal stair turret approached by four steps leading to a doorway with a four-centred head and plank door, with three slit lights above. To the left is a window with a pointed head, two cusped pointed lights, a quatrefoil, and hood mould, with two pointed cusped lights one above the other above. Bell openings on all four sides each consist of a pair of tall narrow pointed lights, each divided into two pointed cusped lights with two transoms and hood moulds. The tower is finished with moulded eaves featuring gargoyle heads, battlements, and ornate pinnacles.

Chancel

The late 12th century chancel was remodelled in the 14th century and heavily restored in the 19th century. It has ironstone and limestone banded walls. The north side features three pointed windows alternating with two-stage buttresses, each window having two pointed cusped lights, flowing tracery including a large cusped ogee, and hood moulds. The east end has two-stage squat angle buttresses and a 19th century pointed window with four cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops.

The south side of the chancel has three pointed windows alternating with two-stage buttresses, each with two cusped ogee headed lights, eccentric 19th century tracery, and hood moulds. To the west is a mid-12th century doorway with a round head, imposts, chamfered jambs, hood mould, and plank door.

South Transept

The early 14th century south transept was remodelled in the 15th century. The ironstone rubble east side has narrow two-stage buttresses flanking a 15th century window with segmental head, four cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops. The south side has a 13th century doorway to the east, heavily restored in the 19th century, with an ogee shaped head, continuous chamfered surround, and plank door. A large pointed window of circa 1300 features three pointed cusped lights and three cusped curved triangles above, with hood mould and crude head label stops. The west side has moulded plinth and string courses with a 15th century window with triangular head, two cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood mould, and head label stops.

South Aisle and Nave

The south side of the mid-15th century nave has moulded plinth and string courses with regularly placed three-stage buttresses having upper gabled set-offs. Two windows to the east and a single window to the west of the doorway all have pointed heads, richly moulded surrounds, three cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery, hood moulds, and head label stops. The doorway has a pointed head, richly moulded continuous surround, hood mould, head label stops, and a plank door. The 15th century clerestory above has four windows with flattened triangular heads, two cusped ogee headed lights, and hood moulds running into a string course. Moulded eaves finish the wall above.

Interior

The interior features a late 13th century four-bay north arcade with filleted quatrefoil piers having very rich naturalistic foliate capitals, double chamfered pointed heads with hood moulds, and heads in the spandrels. The early 13th century south arcade has polygonal responds and piers with polygonal capitals, the westernmost with a band of chip star decoration. It has double chamfered pointed heads and hood moulds with heads in the spandrels.

The mid-14th century crossing tower arches, the western one being taller, all have richly moulded filleted pointed heads running continuously into the jambs. Single slender rolls in each corner of the tower rise to support a 15th century cusped fan vault with a central oculus. Clerestory windows are set above the north and south transept arches, with a blind opening with flattened triangular head inside the tower above the east arch.

The late 13th century arch leading from the north aisle to the south transept has a pointed double chamfered head and triple rolled jambs with rich foliate capitals, filled with a 19th century screen. The north transept contains a 15th century aumbry in the north wall with a crocketed ogee shaped head and 15th century wooden ogee headed door. The late 13th century south transept arch leading from the south aisle has a pointed double chamfered head and triple rolled jambs with rich foliate capitals, filled with a 19th century screen. The south transept contains a doorway in the south-east crossing pier facing west, with a four-centred head, continuous chamfered surround, hood mould, and plank door.

The eastern crossing arch has low flanking stone sections of a screen no longer extant, with blind traceried panels and upper 19th century castellations. The chancel contains late 13th century sedilia reset in the 19th century with three pointed cusped arches and slender free-standing shafts with moulded capitals. A pointed 19th century piscina stands to the east.

Fittings

The 15th century font has a three-stepped octagonal plinth, octagonal pedestal, and octagonal bowl decorated with shields containing emblems of the Passion set under richly cusped ogee heads with finials and ornate pinnacles. The chancel has a 19th century roof, while the 15th century tie beam nave roof features curved braces, ornate foliate bosses, and stone corbel figures. Fittings include 19th century altar rails, pews, choir stalls, altars, reredos, and lectern. A single pink and cream marble monument commemorates the Parker family, circa 1833.