Church Of St John The Baptist

Church of St John the Baptist, Wickhamford

A church of Grade I importance, largely 14th century in date but refaced in the 17th century, with a 13th-century chancel and 17th-century tower. The building was restored in 1949. It is constructed of squared limestone, with chancel walls of rubble, and has a stone slate roof. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, south porch, and lower chancel.

The tower rises in three stages with diagonal buttresses to the lower stage and an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles. On the south side is an illegible inscription within an oval surround. The bell openings consist of two chamfered pointed lights under a pierced pointed head. The middle stage contains chamfered louvred openings with round heads. The west window has three cusped lights under a flat head with hood and lozenge stops. To the west of the porch on the south side of the nave is an 18th-century window that formerly lit a gallery; it is rebated and chamfered with a keyed round head. To the right of the porch are two windows of two cusped lights under flat heads with hoods and lozenge stops. The gabled porch has a doorway with plain reveals and timber lintel, and is inscribed at the apex "1730", possibly altered from "1723". The inner doorway has a canted head. The south wall of the chancel contains a chamfered lancet window and a priest's door with flat head, with a restored window of two cusped ogee lights under a depressed pointed head to its right. The north wall of the nave has a window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in the head, and to the east is a window of two lights under a flat head. The north wall of the chancel contains two blocked lancets. The east window consists of two cusped ogee lights under a pointed head and has been restored.

The interior contains a chamfered tower arch with moulded imposts, partly obscured by a restored west gallery carried on two timber posts. The three nave roof trusses have tie beams, vertical struts, upper collars, and interrupted lower collars. At the eastern end is a ribbed boarded ceiling. The chancel arch is pointed and chamfered in two orders, which die into the responds. Above are painted arms of Charles II, dated 1661. The south side of the nave retains box pews with 17th and 18th-century woodwork and carved panels of various dates of continental origin. On the north side is a three-decker pulpit incorporating similar material. The chancel is ceiled at collar level with tie-beam trusses and vertical struts. A pointed piscina occupies the south side. On the east wall is a defaced medieval wall-painting on a red ground. The turned communion rails are 18th-century. On the north side of the chancel are the Sandyn monuments, comprising two panelled alabaster chest tombs sharing a single tester carried on four round arches springing from black marble columns with Corinthian capitals. The chest tombs bear effigies of Sir Samuel Sandys (died 1626) and his wife Mercy, and Sir Edwin Sandys (died 1626) and his wife Penelope. Above the tester are shields of arms, obelisks, and carved figures, while the chests are carved with kneeling children.