St John the Baptist is a majestic, Gothic Revival church, and is considered to be one of the most important Georgian churches in England. The present church was completed in 1776 replacing an earlier parish church. Originally built with a broach spire (A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces). The 156ft high spire was destroyed in 1850 by lightening not long after repairs following a similar incident. The interior of the church, whilst not particularly spectacular, has a simplistic, chapel feel with plain white walls, rustic ceiling. Box pews and a simple altar add to the warm atmosphere of this unique church. The church also houses a rare three tier pulpit arrangement prominently place in the middle of the aisle. In the gallery the Fortey family crest is a constant reminder of Squire William Fortey’s desire to build this beautiful church.
Squire William Fortey, a bell ringing enthusiast, commissioned a local Leicester architect, J. Wing, the Younger to rebuid the church. Squire Fortey intended that the church should be worthy of the 10 bells that he had commissioned. Of the 10 bells that he had originally hung one came from an earlier church and the other 9 were cast by Joseph Eayre of St. Neots and Thomas Eayre of Kettering Between 1760 and 1764, 2 bells were removed to reduce the strain on the tower. The clock and chiming machinery are dated 1766 and inscribed to Joseph Eayre. In 1977 the 8 bells were rehung and the clock and chiming machine were restored.
An elaborate monument was erected at the East end of the church in the churchyard and close by is his 17th century manor house.
“If anybody would like to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first atchurchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”