Church of St John the Baptist, Glastonbury

Church of St John the Baptist
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or city	Glastonbury
Country	England
Coordinates	51°08′54″N 2°42′58″W / 51.1482°N 2.7162°W / 51.1482; -2.7162
Completed	15th century

Described as "one of the most ambitious parish churches in Somerset", the present Church of St John the Baptist in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

The present church replaced an earlier one. Though documentary evidence for St Johns survives only from the later 12th century, other evidence tends to suggest that a church existed on this site at a significantly earlier date. According to legend, the original church was built by Saint Dunstan in the tenth century. Recent excavations in the nave have revealed the foundations of a large central tower that possibly dated from Saxon times, and a later Norman nave arcade on the same plan as the existing one. A central tower survived until the 15th Century, but is believed to have collapsed, at which time the church was rebuilt. In the north aisle, 12th century fabric survives in the former Saint Katherine's Chapel.

The church was used for shelter by Monmouth's troops in June 1685 during the Monmouth Rebellion. It is also recorded that on four occasions between 1800 and 1804, French prisoners of war were locked up for the night inside the church, presumably whilst in transit.

Between 1856-57 the church was restored and reseated by Sir George Gilbert Scott at a cost of £3000, and its gothic character re-emphasized. The church conforms in its entirety to a style of architecture known as Perpendicular Gothic.

The church is built of Doulting stone, Street stone and the local Tor burr, and is laid out in a cruciform plan with an aisled nave and a clerestorey of seven bays.

The interior of the church includes four 15th-century tomb-chests, some 15th-century stained glass in the chancel, medieval vestments, and a domestic cupboard of about 1500 which was once at Witham Charterhouse.

At the front of the tower are two large carvings, the 'Madonna with Child' and the 'Resurrection Christ' - early works of Ernst Blensdorf, carved in 1945, after his escape from the Nazis.