Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a medieval parish church. It is constructed primarily of flint, with areas of rendering, ashlar dressings, and some brick. The roofs are slate, lead, and felt. The church comprises an aisled nave with a north tower porch, and a chancel. The nave features eight restored 2-light clear-story windows from the 15th century, and a 3-light west window from the 14th century featuring dagger and mouchette soufflets. The south aisle has a 14th-century moulded doorway, two 3-light perpendicular windows with transoms and shallow heads, a fine 3-light 14th-century east window enclosed by a pair of mouchettes, and a 2-light 14th-century cusped Y-traceried west window. The north aisle has four 3-light perpendicular windows and a 14th-century simply moulded doorway leading to the tower. The tower porch, also from the 14th century, has angle buttresses, lancets above with ogee heads, two 2-light Y-traceried bell openings, and a later crenellated parapet with flushwork arcading, carved panelling, corner finials of seated figures, and gargoyles. The chancel contains one restored 2-light traceried window and a blocked 14th-century cusped oculus to the north, as well as a late Perpendicular sash window with embattled transoms and triangular arches. A late 12th-century Priest’s door features a 2-centred arch of two orders set on nook shafts with scallop capitals; an inner order has boldly projecting angle rolls and scallop capitals. Two 2-light Y-traceried windows are also present. The nave has three bays to the south with a column, a half-column respond, and an irregular octagonal pier with a semi-octagonal respond, all supporting plain 2-centred arches. To the north, large rectangular piers have keel moulded angle rolls and hollow chamfered arches. A piscina is located in each aisle. A rood stair features an ogee headed entrance to the north. The church has 15th-century arch braced aisle roofs with embattled wall plates, moulded purlins, and spandrels with fine Flamboyant tracery. The chancel includes a pair of large, badly mutilated 14th-century niches with former nodding ogee heads, and a simple piscina to the south. There are two fine Bramwell family wall memorials dated 1787 and 1802. A polygonal 15th-century pulpit stands on a single stem with traceried panels. The octagonal font has traceried panels, a stem and plinth set with medieval glazed tiles. Two 14th-century tomb slabs featuring characteristic foliate crosses are also present, alongside a wooden columnar poor box with three locks dated 1639. The west window contains a considerable quantity of 14th-century stained glass. A brass commemorating Christopher Crowe (1526) is set into the south aisle floor.