Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church that dates back to medieval times, with significant alterations made in the early 19th century and between 1887 and 1893. The building features a nave, a west tower, and a south porch, while the chancel was rebuilt in the early 19th century. It is constructed of flint rubble with freestone dressings, and the nave is primarily plastered with a plain tiled roof. The round tower, which may date from the 12th century or earlier, has 13th-century pointed windows at the belfry level and on the west side, along with a plain tower arch that may also have been remodeled in the 13th century. The nave contains Norman walling, and its windows are of early 19th-century stucco in a Gothic style. The nave roof features double collars for each rafter couple, with the lower tier of collars having soulaces; this may be of 13th-century origin but could have been rebuilt in the 19th century. The early 16th-century porch is made of pink and buff brick with a plain tiled roof, showcasing a 4-centred arched doorway and windows with hoodmoulds. The original roof includes moulded purlins, a cornice, and arch-braced principals. There is a plain 13th or 14th-century south doorway with a small stoup beside it in the porch, and the north doorway is similar. The font, dating from the 12th century, has a cauldron-type bowl on a chamfered square stem, with four carved, defaced figures around the rim, each with outstretched arms linking hands. One medieval bench end behind the pulpit features a carved dog on the buttress, while the remaining benches are from the 19th century. The early 19th-century chancel is made of flint rubble with many inclusions of moulded medieval limestone and has dressings of gault brick, topped with a slated roof and stuccoed windows in the Perpendicular style.