Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church largely dating to the 15th century, with some earlier fabric in the nave, and substantial 19th and early 20th century restoration. The church is constructed of random flint with stone dressings, with knapped flint to the porch and a plinth to the tower. The roof is pantiled, with plaintiles to the porch.

The west tower is square, with four stages, a string course at each stage, and three-stage diagonal buttresses. It boasts a crenellated parapet with flushwork decoration and carved stonework, gargoyles to the base of the parapet on the east and west faces, and mutilated bell-chamber openings to each face. A restored 3-light window is located on the west side. The south nave wall contains one 2-light and two identical 3-light windows, all partially restored. The north nave wall has three windows with Y tracery, likely dating to the late 13th or early 14th century, and a blocked doorway.

A good 15th-century south porch has quatrefoil flushwork to the plinth and one tier of flushwork panels. The arched doorway features carved shields in the spandrels, above which is an empty ogee-headed niche, a trail-traceried band and a red brick gable with stone coping. The nave doorway has fleurons to the jambs, arch, and spandrels, with carved dragons within the spandrels. The plank door has a sanctuary knocker. The north and south chancel walls feature largely original 15th-century one-light and two-light windows with cinquefoil-headed lights and square hoodmoulds. A blocked Priest’s doorway is located in the south chancel. The east end of the chancel was rebuilt in 1920, incorporating a 3-light east window with intersected tracery.

The nave has an arch-braced roof, which was plastered over. The chancel was re-roofed in 1920. A fine octagonal font, dating to around 1500, is richly carved with faces on its sides, stem and underside of the bowl, and features a quatrefoil frieze and inscription around the top. A north nave wall includes an arched entrance to a roof loft and original stairs. A simple piscina is positioned in the south sanctuary wall, and an arched recess is found in the north chancel wall, potentially once housing an Easter Sepulchre. Modern additions include a pulpit, benches, and a west gallery from 1845. In 1982, part of a 13th-century painted consecration cross was uncovered on the south nave wall. The church is designated Grade II* for the survival of medieval fabric.