Church Of Saint John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church dating primarily to the 13th century, with later additions. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar and rubble, with steeply pitched plain tile roofs and gabled ends. The church comprises a chancel, nave, a double north aisle, a vestry, and a bell-turret.

The chancel is buttressed and features a triple lancet east window with moulded arches. On the south side are a narrow, low, square-headed window and a 13th-century doorway with a moulded pointed arch, alongside a lancet window. To the north is a lancet window, and the projecting vestry at the west end, originally built as a north chapel, with a twin lancet window on its east side and a triple lancet on its north side. The south wall of the nave now has two modern windows with trefoil lights. A blocked 13th-century doorway with a roll-moulded pointed arch is centrally located and a 14th-century doorway with a moulded pointed arch sits within the west gable wall, above which is a circular window enclosing a quatrefoil.

The north aisle is built of light-coloured sandstone ashlar and incorporates a single, ogee-headed window in the centre of its west gable wall, a blocked doorway with a pointed arch, and three single lancet windows on its north side. An east gable window displays a 13th-century two-light pointed tracery window.

The bell-turret has a square base, corbelled out on the eastern and western sides of the nave wall above the chancel arches. It transitions to an octagon via splays at the corners, surmounted by a short, octagonal tapered spire.

The chancel interior contains oak wainscot panelling, an altar table, and altar rails dating from 1723. A large early 15th-century brass depicting Sir William Bagot and his wife, Margaret, is affixed to the south wall. Several 17th and 18th century mural tablets commemorating the Bromley family are also present. A late 18th-century oak-panelled gallery is located at the west end of the nave. Late 18th-century box pews and a pulpit are situated on the south side of the nave. The chancel arches consist of two sets of triple arches, 3 feet 6 inches apart, with arched soffits. Painted decorations from the 14th century are visible on the arch splays. The original north aisle is narrow, and its three-bay arcade to the nave dates from the early 13th century, featuring pointed arches resting on circular piers. The arcade to the present north aisle, also of three bays, is from the late 13th century, with pointed arches resting on polygonal piers. At the east end of the north aisle is a tomb recess, and at the west end, an oak-panelled room dated 1677, which formerly surrounded the vault to the Bromley family. Numerous 18th-century headstones are located to the south of the church.