Church Of St John The Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is a Grade II* listed building located in Hellidon. It features a medieval west tower, with the nave and chancel restored and largely rebuilt by architect William Butterfield between 1846 and 1847. Butterfield also added the north aisle in 1867, while Mathew Holding contributed the chancel aisle in 1897. The church is constructed from coursed squared ironstone, with limestone and red sandstone dressings, and has a slate roof.

The layout includes a chancel, north chancel aisle, nave, south porch, north aisle, transept, and the west tower. The east window showcases three-light Decorated style tracery with a hood-mould and label stops. The chancel and nave feature two-light Decorated windows, except for the south-east chancel window, which has a straight head and hood mould. The south porch is marked by a double-chamfered arch, and the south door has a moulded arch on imposts, a hood-mould, and an inscription dating to 1591. The west tower is three stages high with battlements, a red sandstone chamfered plinth, a one-light lancet window on the ground floor, and two-light windows with Decorated tracery in red sandstone at the belfry stage, except for the south side, which has a partially blocked arched window.

Inside, the chancel features a polychromatic zig-zag-tiled dado in the sanctuary, a limestone reredos inlaid with coloured marbles and tiles, and a red marble gradine. The roof is an arch-braced collar truss design, with the east bay painted and an inscription below the wall plate. The chancel windows have simple painted decoration on the soffit and splays. The nave includes a north arcade with chamfered arches that die into square piers and a scissor-truss roof. The east window has 19th-century stained glass by Frederick Preedy, while the south side of the chancel and the west tower contain 19th-century windows by Alexander Gibbs. There is also a wall monument dedicated to Reverend C.S. Holthouse, the church's restorer, designed by Butterfield.