St John the Baptist’s Church, Hope Bagot

St John the Baptist’s is one of the most picturesque examples of a small Norman village church, built next to an ancient yew tree which has survived since the Roman occupation, and a venerated holy well beneath its branches.

The church dates from the 12th century and is largely Norman in style, with alterations and additions in the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries. It was restored in the 19th century and again in 1911.

It is constructed in stone rubble with ashlar dressings, is partly rendered, and consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The north side of the church is entirely Norman, with a single window in both the nave and the chancel. The south doorway is also Norman, and has a plain tympanum above the door which is hidden behind the porch. The windows on the south side of the church date from the 14th century, and the east window possibly dates to the early 16th century.

The interior of the church is also largely Norman, although the oak barrel-vaulted ceiling in the chancel dates from the 1911 restoration, which is covering an earlier roof. In the chancel, with its 12th-century chancel arch is an unusual piscina and a stepped sedilia. The plain font likely dates from the 12th century, and the oak pulpit from the 17th century.

In the churchyard is the ancient yew tree and the holy well, both of which have been dated at over 1600 years old, meaning that this has been a sacred site since Roman times. The sacred well has been venerated for centuries and it is possible that it may have been of religious importance since pre-Christian times.