Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a parish church built in 1819 by William Franklin, with a chancel and porch added in 1870 by Medland and Son. It is constructed of ashlar limestone and has a stone slate roof. The church features a nave with a west tower, a south porch, and a chancel. On the north and south walls of the nave, there are two large three-light pointed windows, each with reticulated tracery. There are two shallow buttresses on each side that align with the tower; these originally had moulded finial tops, which have now been removed. The tower slightly projects from the west end and has a tall two-light west window above a pointed arched west doorway with a brattished top. Each side of the tower has a perpendicular style two-light nave window. The tower's design includes pilaster angle buttresses and tall belfry openings, giving it a somewhat elongated appearance. A hollow moulded cornice runs below the crenellated top, which has stumpy corners that once featured openwork pinnacles, also removed. The south porch has a gabled parapet and a pointed archway with a similar doorway inside. The large east window showcases geometrical tracery.

Inside, the church has a broad nave with a trussed roof. The baptistery and sacristy are located in the west part of the nave, flanking the tower, each with a high pointed archway. There is a wide moulded chancel arch and several notable monuments, mostly from the early 19th century. The east window contains stained glass, while the northwest window features glass by Butler and Bayne from 1898. The church is described as a rather plain and austere structure, prominently situated overlooking the Painswick valley, and it replaced a medieval church that had a saddleback tower.