Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church located in Craven Arms. It dates back to the 12th century and was rebuilt in 1654, with the chancel added in 1664. The church consists of a nave, chancel, and a west tower, constructed from sandstone rubble. The nave features a 20th-century corrugated tile roof, while the chancel has a plain tile roof.

On the south front of the nave, there are two chamfered elliptical-headed two-light mullion windows and a Transitional south doorway with a chamfered semi-circular arch supported by attached columns that lead to scalloped impost blocks. A 19th-century rubble porch with a stone tile roof is also present. The chancel includes a 14th-century two-light trefoil-headed mullioned window set in a chamfered square-headed surround, and a plank door within a chamfered pointed arch. There is a tablet from around 1662 featuring a moulded cornice, pilasters, and the Arms of Henry and Alice Bough, along with a three-light east window with lattice glazing beneath a chamfered pointed arch.

The tower has a plain semi-circular arch leading to the south doorway, which is situated below a 17th-century round-headed window and an earlier opening. It features drip courses, a 19th-century sundial, a castellated parapet, and a weather-vane.

Inside, the nave has a moulded ceiling-frame with plaster panels and a stop-chamfered raking strut roof dated 1664. There is an 18th-century west gallery, 16th-century pews, and a 17th-century panelled and hooded pulpit with a reading desk. The church also contains 17th-century box-pews with cockspur hinges, an enriched canopy pew with two compartments and an open arcade, and wall paintings from the 17th century with baroque surrounds. Notable tablets commemorate Isabella Smith, who died in 1801, and John Onions, who died in 1786.

The church is believed to have been severely damaged during the Civil War and is a rare example of Commonwealth church building.