Church Of St John The Baptist

Church of St John the Baptist

This church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries and stands in Hackleton. It has been substantially restored in three phases: 1877–8 at a cost of £1,300 by E.F. Law, when the north aisle was rebuilt and the nave roof renewed; 1900–1902 by the firm of Law and Harris, when the south aisle and porch were rebuilt and the chancel received a new arch, roof and east window; and again in 1908.

The building is constructed in coursed squared limestone and ironstone with lead roofs to the aisles, a slate roof to the nave, and a plain tile roof to the chancel. It comprises a 2-bay chancel, an aisled nave, a south porch and a west tower.

The chancel has a 3-light east window with 19th-century Perpendicular tracery and a hood mould, with no windows to its sides. The nave features 2-light clerestory windows with 4-centred heads and hood moulds. The north aisle is lit by 2-light east and west windows with quatrefoils to the heads, a 4-light window to the north with a straight head and ogee-arched lights flanked by similar 3-light windows, all with hood moulds. There is a blocked chamfered north door with a hood mould. The south aisle contains 2-light windows to the east and west ends and either side of the porch with 19th-century Decorated-style tracery, and a 4-light window to the south-east with a straight head, all with hood moulds. The south door, dating from around 1900, has shafts in the porch of the same period with a double-hollow-chamfered doorway and hood moulds; the porch also has 2-light windows to its sides with straight heads.

The 3-stage tower has a west door with 2 orders of shafts, a roll-moulded and hollow-chamfered head and hood mould. Above this is a small lancet window, and the bell-chamber has 2-light openings with plate tracery and trefoil-headed lights, all with hood moulds. The tower features a corbel table and trefoil frieze above, with tall octagonal corner pinnacles. The spire is topped with broaches and one tier of lucarnes with Y tracery facing the cardinal directions. An octagonal collar with a stone-coped parapet sits below a slightly recessed spire with one tier of tall thin 1-light lucarnes set in diagonals. Both the spire and its octagonal base are of ironstone. The body of the church has plain stone-coped parapets.

The interior of the chancel has a tiled sanctuary. The nave contains 4-bay arcades with octagonal piers, polygonal responds, moulded bases and capitals, and double-chamfered arches. There is an octagonal font with shafts to the stem.

The church contains several notable monuments. A limestone wall monument to Joseph Swayn, an apothecary who died in 1720, has a gadrooned apron and an upright oval tablet topped by cherubs' heads. A limestone wall monument to Thomas Mercer (died 1733) features a draped tablet, cherubs' heads, trumpets and a lamp finial, signed by Samuel Cox. A monument to another Thomas Mercer (died 1739) is signed by the same sculptor and is made of veined marble with a slate inscription panel, obelisk background and rococo bracket. A wall monument to Thomas Mercer (died 1747), signed by Henry Cox, is of veined marble with an apron, circular swagged tablet, obelisk ground and grenade finials. A limestone monument to John Glass, Deputy-ranger of Salcey Forest, who died in 1775, has an upright oval tablet on ground painted to resemble pink marble, garlands and a cherubs' head to the apron; it is signed by Jas Andrews of Olney. A wall monument to Elizabeth Mercer (died 1782) is signed by W. Cox and is of veined marble with an apron and lamp finials. A monument to Thomas Mercer (died 1809) has an upright oval tablet on a slate ground with applied marble swag and crest. Additional 19th-century wall monuments are also present.