Church Of St John The Evangelist

The Church of St John the Evangelist is a building with origins in the 12th century, with substantial rebuilding in the 19th century. The south chapel and aisle retain some 12th-century elements, while the main body of the church was largely rebuilt in 1842 by R. C. Hussey in a 14th-century style. A north aisle was added in 1881 by Sir A. W. Blomfield.

The church is constructed from knapped flint rubble with ashlar dressings and quoins, and has plain tiled roofs with Horsham slabs above the porch, and a wood-shingled broach spire over the tower. The church comprises a chancel, chapels to the east, a nave with aisles, porches on the north and south sides, and a tower to the west. The two-stage tower has quoined angles and a lower stage that batters. A string course rises on the south side to form a gable moulding above a stone clock dial with a foliage cap and apex finial. The upper stage has two-light, Decorated-style, traceried and louvred openings on each face, with a stone panel containing four quatrefoils below the north window. A geometrical roundel window is set into the west face of the lower stage. A stair turret adjoins the tower at the north-east corner, with a foiled-head lancet window and a plain door surround accessed by external stairs. The north aisle has a two-light Decorated-style window with offset angle buttresses. Renewed lancet windows with chamfered surrounds are found on the aisle, with exposed wall plates above. The north door has a round-arched surround with zig-zag moulding. The chancel chapel has two lancet windows and a priest’s door, while the east window has five stepped lights under a common hood mould. There's a square-headed two-light and quatrefoil window on the north and south sides of the chancel, set within ball-flower stopped hood moulds. The south chancel chapel/vestry has a two-light window and door. The south side has three two-light windows. The gabled porch to the south has lancet windows in each return side, stone bands on the front, and 15th-century style scalloped and trefoil pattern bargeboards. The doors have a hollow chamfer and ball-flower decoration, and are protected by spear-headed railings.

Inside, a three-bay circular-pier round-arched south arcade features moulded bases and caps. The arch at the east end of the south aisle likely dates to around 1200, although it has been reset within modern jambs. Some 13th-century inner jambs to lancets are present in the south chancel chapel, but have undergone 19th-century alterations. Beneath the east window of the north chapel are two short 12th-century shafts with scalloped caps, and one moulded base. The church contains 19th-century fittings of standard design, along with a piscina/aumbry below the south-east lancet window of the south chancel chapel, partially obscured by pews.