Church Of St John The Baptist

DENHAM TM 17 SE 4/27 Church of St. John the 29.7.55 Baptist II* Parish church, said to have been a chapel to a college sited at nearby College Farm. Medieval; restored 1873. Nave, chancel, south porch, north vestry; there was once a west tower and north chapel. Mostly flint rubble, the chancel plastered; stone dressings. Nave walls heightened in red brick and various brick repairs, including infilling of arch into north chapel. Some heavy C19 brick buttresses to nave. Slated roofs. Nave windows and doorways are in Perpendicular style but the fabric is older. 3-light windows, one to north and 2 to south, all much renewed. Both doorways retain medieval doors, the south door with a sanctuary knocker. C18 brick porch: 3-centre arched entrance with raised springers and stone key. At the south east corner of nave part of the rood stair is visible. Early C14 chancel with a Priest's doorway of that date. The windows are in Perpendicular style, the 2 to the south being square-headed. 3-light east window of C20 date. Interior. Nave has a good late C15 7-bay roof with long arched braces meeting at the centre, east-west bracing below the ridge (the pendants lost) and moulded principal components. On the south side the moulded cornice no longer survives. Chancel roof of c.1873. Wide unmoulded chancel arch. In the nave north wall is the blocked arch to the chapel. Plain octagonal font dated 1876. Chancel stalls incorporate 6 medieval misere seats and some C15 poppyhead bench-ends. Remainder of furnishings renewed 1873. In a wall recess in the north east nave is a good late C13 recumbent stone effigy of a lady: this is probably a member of the Bedingfield family and is said to have come from the chapel. Below the west nave window is an inscribed tablet of C13 date. A C16 brass to a member of the Bedingfield family has been removed. Good Arms of Charles I (dated 1637) over chancel arch.

Listing NGR: TM1883474784