Church Of St John The Baptist

Parish church of 1887, built on an earlier site and incorporating earlier fabric and fittings. The church is constructed of snecked rock-faced limestone (coursed rubble to the north) with sandstone ashlar dressings, and has a stone slate roof with plain tiles to the south. It is designed in a Late 15th century Gothic style, comprising a 3-bay nave, a 2-bay chancel, a south porch, and a north vestry. Large buttresses with two set-offs define the facade, topped with a parapet between the nave and chancel. A western bellcote projects as a buttress, with weathering to the roof and a pair of square-headed bell openings. The nave has square-headed windows with chamfered reveals and two trefoil-headed lights, a trefoiled ogee-headed lancet to the west with chamfered reveals, and a central south doorway with a chamfered arch and boarded doors. The stone south porch features an inventive timber-framed gable-end made up of chamfered ogee arch-braces with pierced quatrefoils in the spandrels, a cambered tie-beam with a king post above, a double-framed roof, and side benches within. The chancel has trefoil ogee-headed lancets with chamfered reveals, and an east window with three ogee-headed lights. A lean-to vestry to the north has a cinquefoil-headed window to the west and a boarded door to the north with a chamfered surround.

Inside, the nave features a 15th century six-bay roof with arch-braced collars, cusped V-struts, moulded bases to the arch braces, two pairs of moulded purlins, three tiers of cusped windbraces forming quatrefoil panels, and a blind ogee-arcaded panelled frieze above the wall plate. The chancel has a 19th century or restored 15th century roof matching that of the nave. The double-chamfered chancel arch is supported by short shafts with carved-head corbels and foliated capitals, and has a hood mould with carved heads as stops. A chamfered-arched boarded doorway leads to the vestry, and an ogee-arched north piscina is present. Original fittings include a restored 12th century tub font with a 19th century base and cover, a 17th century communion table, a 17th century parish chest, and a painted 18th century Royal Coat-of-Arms above the chancel arch. Other features consist of early 19th century painted commandment and creed boards, a 19th century octagonal stone pulpit with pierced ogee panels, 19th century wrought iron communion rails, two late 18th century wall tablets, and a 20th century neo-Rococo organ case. A stone from which the parish is said to derive its name is kept within the church, and local tradition suggests it was used as a measure for a bag of wheat (20 lbs plus 4 ½ lbs for the bag). The church is designated Grade II* for the quality of the 15th century roof.