Church Of St John

The Church of St John is a Norman church with significant alterations dating from the 14th, 18th, and 20th centuries. It is constructed of flint with stone dressings, rendered externally, and has an old plain tile roof. The original Norman core, comprising a chancel and nave, dates from around 1130-60, followed by a 14th-century rebuilding to the west, the addition of a bellcote in the 19th century, and a porch around 1910.

The chancel features an 18th-century round-headed window on its east face, with two similar windows to the north and one to the south. A small 16th-century stone plaque is set into the north wall. The north wall of the nave has an 18th-century window, evidence of earlier windows to the west, a stepped buttress from the 16th century, and an 18th-century corner buttress. The south wall of the nave has two 18th-century windows to the east and a 20th-century timber-frame porch to the west.

Inside, the Norman round-headed doorway has chamfered abaci and a hood mould with radially set grotesque head stops. It leads to a 16th-century studded planked door with strap hinges and an old lock. A tablet from 1769 commemorates Richard Wooley, and a 14th-century stepped buttress has been repaired in the 18th century. A 19th-century, two-light hipped dormer sits above the porch. The west end features a 14th-century stepped buttress, a trefoiled window with a hood mould over a rectangular light, and a blocked doorway. A square, weatherboarded bellcote with a hipped roof houses three bells: a medieval bell inscribed "In honore Tri", a late 15th-century bell by William Hasylwood inscribed "Sancta Rafael ora pro nobis", and a bell from 1603. Inside the chancel, slightly splayed arches extend westward. Two 18th-century stone steps lead to a sanctuary with 18th-century panelling. Monuments include those of 1627 to John St John & family, 1786 to Rev. John St John, and 1600 to William St John, featuring a stone tomb chest with shields and an effigy of a knight. Floor slabs commemorate individuals from 1699 to 1780. 17th-century altar rails with turned balustrades and a moulded hand rail are also present, along with tablets commemorating various individuals from 1747 to 1817. Floor slabs date from 1691 to 1722 and 1674. The church has a 15th-century, two-bay barrel-vaulted roof with stone corbels. An 18th-century reading desk and an early 18th-century pulpit with tester are located in the nave. A 17th-century floor slab commemorates Thomas Childes. Tall panelling separates off a vestry, containing remains of stocks, a wrought iron weather vane, a cresset beacon, an 18th-century commandments board, a heavy baluster font, and 19th-century gas lamp fittings. A 15th-century king post roof, missing one bay, supports the bellcote. Solid hatchments belonging to the St John family are affixed to the east posts.