Parish Church Of St John The Baptist

The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, located in Old Sodbury, has origins dating back to the 12th century, with a 15th-century tower. The church has been remodelled, except for the tower, and underwent significant restoration in 1858, likely by T. H. Wyatt. The layout includes a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, north and south transepts, and a chancel, along with a projecting south porch.

The building is constructed of rubble and features a modern reproduction stone tile roof, with some original Cotswold stone tiles. The three-stage tower has clasping buttresses on part of the lower stage, twin lancet windows in the belfry, and a castellated parapet with pinnacles. The restored Norman south doorway leads into a four-bay nave supported by round piers with waterleaf or trumpet capitals and round arches. The easternmost bays of the transepts are in the Early English style. The west end of the aisles contains Norman windows, while the others are in the Perpendicular style.

The chancel, built in the 19th century, has two bays and features a reticulated window in the south transept. Inside, there is an Early English tower arch with short shafts on corbel heads and stiff leaf capitals, as well as an octagonal Perpendicular font. The church houses numerous fine monuments, including two ogee-headed tomb recesses in the north transept—one containing a carved wooden effigy of a knight from the 14th century and the other a stone military effigy in high relief, dating to around 1240.

In the south transept, there are two notable Baroque tablets dedicated to Daniel Burcombe from 1712 and 1702. Under the tower, a collection of finely carved 18th and 19th-century tablets is displayed, including one from 1676 dedicated to William Sheen, which features a segmental pediment and funerary symbolism. Additionally, there is a marble tablet in the north aisle commemorating Thomas Brooke from 1813, and the churchyard contains numerous well-crafted 18th and 19th-century table tombs.