Church of St John the Baptist, Bishopstone
OgImage:
We are very fortunate to have such a beautiful 13th century church which has served our community through the generations. It continues to welcome everyone for the important events in their lives - baptisms, weddings and funerals, for major festivals – Christmas, Easter and Harvest, and on village occasions such as Remembrance Sunday. Although the building no longer stands at the centre of the Village, the church congregation is very much at the heart of the community, providing services in the village hall, arranging children’s workshops, visiting and providing pastoral care to those in need and ensuring that STAB is delivered free to every house in the parish.
The church of St John the Baptist is a large cruciform church with a Perpendicular central tower. There are several interesting monuments outside including by the south transept where a small stone cloister of two vaulted bays shelters a decorated tomb chest, perhaps that of the founder of the church. In the north transept is another richly decorated tomb recess, with stone coffin-lids, and in the south transept a mid-19th century Gothic monument to a former rector by A. W. Pugin. At one time, above this was a window designed by Pugin and executed by William Wailes. This has since been replaced by clear glass.
A considerable amount of money has been spent recently on the restoration of the timbers and plasterwork of the medieval nave ceiling which had been ravaged by a death watch beetle infestation. The restoration of the church building is being financed by The Friends of Bishopstone Church with help from English Heritage. To contact the friends of Bishopstone Church click here Friends of Bishopstone Church
There is also a stained-glass Saint with two left feet and Civil War bullet holes in the West door!
