Church Of St John The Baptist

Church of St John the Baptist

This is a parish church of the 12th and 13th centuries, with 15th-century additions, substantially restored in 1890. It is a large building constructed in well-squared stone approaching ashlar on the tower, with rough squared stone to the porch, ashlar facing to the south aisle on a random rubble base, and ashlar to the chancel east wall with well-squared stone to the south wall above random rubble. The north wall is constructed in squared stone brought to courses. The building has a tiled roof and comprises a nave, chancel, south aisle, west tower, south porch, and organ chamber.

The south-facing façade features a moulded plinth to the tower with diagonally-set corner buttresses to the west, the southern one containing an arched recess for a statue at its lowest stage. A semi-octagonal stair turret rises at the south-east corner. The tower is divided into four stages by moulded strings. The third stage contains a clock in a blocked arched opening with hoodmould, while the fourth stage has a two-light Perpendicular tracery window with stone louvres. Above this sits a plain parapet decorated with gargoyles on the south face, surmounted by an octagonal spire with roll moulding to its arrises. An access window on the south face sits beneath a hood, and a crown is carved halfway up the spire, which terminates in a weathercock on a finial. Double stone pinnacles and flying buttresses rise from the tower corners to support the spire. The south aisle has no plinth and features a diagonally-set western buttress with plinth. The porch, positioned left of centre, is approached through a wide Early English doorway with hoodmould and a carved head above it, positioned off-centre. Scalloped bargeboards decorate the gable. The aisle has one lancet window on each side of the porch and parapet gables. The chancel has a three-light window to the south towards the left, diagonal corner buttress, and a parapet gable with a cross-gablet and floriate cross at its apex. The chancel ridge tiles are crested, with a further cross at the junction with the nave. The nave and chancel roofs continue in one run with no clerestory to the nave. On the north side, ragged ends to the organ chamber side walls indicate an unbuilt vestry.

Internally, the south door to the porch is flanked by single plain shafts with a semi-circular head. The tympanum is richly carved with a 12th-century depiction of St George and the Dragon, exceptionally well-preserved. Above this is a pointed hoodmould to a blind opening with cinquefoil head, the top foil ogee. Stone benches occupy the porch. The south aisle contains a four-bay Early English arcade with circular pillars, moulded capitals and bases, and a carved head on the east respond. An open roof with arch-braced collar trusses spans the aisle, with half-trusses between without braces. Walls throughout the church are plastered. A high arch to the tower, without capitals, contains a tierceron vault with octagonal bell-hole. The nave roof matches the aisle design, and a low arched recess in the north wall towards the east end features trefoil tracery. The chancel has a panelled boarded barrel vault and an Early English piscina with trefoil head. A blocked door by the south aisle originally served the rood loft stairs. The pulpit dates to 1635 and is constructed of oak, standing on a late 19th-century stone base. It has two panels to each face with scratch mouldings; the lower panels are modelled to form a St. Andrew's Cross, and the upper section contains nine small panels. A 19th-century brass candlestick serves as an electric light fitting. The font is of stone with an octagonal bowl, splayed stem, and square base, dated 1657.

The church underwent heavy restoration in 1890 by the firm Waller & Son of Gloucester. Flying buttresses to the spire were added in 1866.