Church

St John the Baptist, Scampton

St John the Baptist, Scampton

St John the Baptist is a Grade II* Church of England parish church on High Street, Scampton, Lincolnshire, in the Diocese of Lincoln: a medieval village church recast by Bodley and Garner, closely associated with RAF Scampton.

Location
Scampton, Lincolnshire
Country
England
County
Lincolnshire
City / town
Scampton
Address
High Street, Scampton, Lincolnshire, LN1 2SE
Postcode
LN1 2SE
Built
C14 tower; altered 1760 and 1794; restored 1876–77
Architect
Bodley and Garner (restoration 1876–77)
Denomination
Church of England
Dedication
John the Baptist
Diocese
Lincoln
Parish
Scampton
Grade
II*
Style
Medieval with High Victorian restoration
Materials
Coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings; plain tiled and slate roofs
Grid reference
SK 948 794
Opening hours
Open every day, a warm welcome is assured to the visitor.
Access
Accessible toilets in church. Level access to the main areas. Ramp or level access available on request

Overview

Historic England lists a parish church of the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with early seventeenth-century work, alterations of 1794, and a restoration of 1876–77 by Bodley and Garner. The fabric is coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and plain tiled and slate roofs with stone-coped gables. The plan is western tower, nave, chancel, south porch, north aisle and vestry. The two-stage fourteenth-century tower has an embattled parapet. A sixteenth-century three-bay north arcade of octagonal pillars survives. Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer notes that the church was largely taken down and rebuilt or extensively altered about 1760, reduced in 1794 by Illingworth, and again largely altered in 1876–77 when the chancel and north aisle were rebuilt. North-aisle windows rebuilt in 1877 are thought to have come from demolished Scampton Manor House. Brass armorial plaques in the chancel commemorate Catherine Bolles (1644) and Sir John Bolles (1648).

The parish notes an RAF chapel with squadron badges, Commonwealth war graves, and stained glass by Claire Williamson dedicated to RAF heritage and 617 Squadron, formed at RAF Scampton in 1943. The church is open every day.

Further Information