Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church dating back to circa 1400, with a west tower from that period, and the remainder largely rebuilt circa 1450. A chapel was added around 1520, and the chancel was restored in 1874. The church is constructed of dressed stone with freestone dressings, covered by slate and lead roofs.

The church’s layout consists of a nave and chancel, unified as one space, featuring a large 19th-century five-light Perpendicular east window. North and south aisles flank the nave, with the south aisle extended circa 1520 by John Gilbert to create the Compton Chapel. The exterior is characterized by embattled parapets and buttresses that step back, rising to pinnacles shaped like obelisks. A rood stair turret is located on the north side. The south aisle incorporates two large granite Perpendicular windows at its east end, and a smaller three-light Perpendicular window at the east end of the south side (within the Compton Chapel). The south doorway is distinguished by quatrefoil spandrels. A two-storey porch, also embattled and with finials, features diagonal buttresses stepping back. The interior of the porch is vaulted with moulded ribs, tiercerons, and carved bosses depicting shields, foliage, and rosettes. The tall, unbuttressed west tower has a slight batter and is divided into three stages, topped with battlements, gargoyles, and pinnacles over the corners. Three-light bell openings have straight heads with labels. A polygonal stair turret rises from the south side of the tower. The west window is a 19th-century replacement with intersecting tracery, accompanied by a plain chamfered west doorway with a hood mould.

Inside, the church has 15th-century five-bay north and south arcades, the south arcade extended circa 1520 with two narrow bays leading to the chancel chapel (Compton Chapel). Two-centred arcade arches rest on piers featuring four shafts with wavy moulding between them, and leaf-frieze capitals. A 19th-century boarded wagon roof covers the nave. Flat roofs with moulded chamfered beams supported on stone corbels are present in the north and south aisles. A reset piscina, likely from the original chancel, is found in the south chancel chapel, featuring a cusped ogee arch with quatrefoils in the spandrels and a shelf. Another piscina is located in the south aisle. Canopied cenotaphs to Otho Gilbert (died 1492) and his wife are set in the east bay of each arcade – the south one containing a recumbent effigy in armour. A 15th-century octagonal font displays panels with quatrefoils and shields. The Royal Arms of William IV are displayed under the tower. Fragments of a stone screen are preserved in a room above the porch. Other furnishings mostly date to the 19th and 20th centuries. Further monuments include a wall monument to Ann Gilbert (died 1775), as well as various 17th, 18th and 19th century incised tombstones.