Church Of St John The Evangelist

The Church of St John the Evangelist is a parish church, likely dating from the 14th century, but largely rebuilt between 1752 and 1756 for Richard Bateman. It is constructed of coursed rubble with a slate roof. The church incorporates a 14th-century west tower, and a 18th-century nave, transepts, and chancel, all executed in a Gothick style.

The west tower has two stages with a crenellated parapet, a battered plinth, and a string course. The belfry features a window with a segmental pointed light on each wall. The west wall has a window consisting of two pointed lights below the belfry. The 18th-century west door has an ogee head and label with engaged columns to the responds, topped by a trefoiled window flanked by two smaller windows. A boarded door has applied strips forming hexagonal decoration.

The nave has three bays and a crenellated parapet with three windows, each featuring two ogee lights under an ogee head containing a quatrefoil and a label. The transepts have crenellated gables, with south and north windows of three ogee lights under a four-centred head containing two quatrefoils and an ogee label. The chancel is blind to the north and south, with a three-ogee-light east window under a four-centred head and an ogee label.

The interior of the tower has a coved plaster cornice and a plain stone staircase leading to a west gallery. An ogee-headed east door has a similar door as the west entrance. The nave’s gallery, dating from 1829, is supported by two slender Corinthian columns, with a front featuring quatrefoils to panels. Gothick plaster panels with memorials are located between the windows. A coved and enriched cornice runs along the nave. The transepts are separated from the nave by three pendant ogee arches with triple engaged columns to the responds. The south transept, serving as a family pew, features a large marble Gothick fireplace. The chancel arch has a similar tripartite design with a finial to the central arch. The north and south walls each have two trefoil-headed stone Gothick panels. The east window is framed by a plaster architrave.

The tower contains memorials on the south wall: a stone cartouche to John Handford (died 1678), and an oval panel with an enriched border, scrolled side pilasters, and pediment to Ann Chaplin (died 1684). The nave has 18th-century pews with elaborate ends pierced with quatrefoils at the top and an ogee arch below. Pews in the transepts are divided by 18th-century wrought iron railings. The pulpit is a three-decker construction, featuring a main pulpit under an elaborate sounding board and red velvet hangings, a reader's desk with bend ends similar to the pews, a pierced back with crocketted finials, and a lectern. An altar rail with an enriched moulded handrail is also present. The chancel contains two Gothick arm chairs, and the south transept has six Gothick chairs with ogee backs. The font in the crossing is from the 12th century, featuring four lions around the column supporting a simple bowl, carved in the Hereford school style. An 18th-century font in the north aisle has an octagonal bowl on an octagonal pier with a moulded plinth. Certain 12th-century arches and the tympanum were relocated in the 18th century to form the Shobdon arches. The church represents an outstanding example of the Gothick style.