Eastern Ruins

Eastern Ruins. The Church of St John the Baptist. These ruins are all that survive of the Norman choir and medieval chapels which once formed the east end of St John's Church. In the Middle Ages the church was twice the length it is today., In the mid-century, England broke away from the Catholic church. Collegiate churches like St. John's were dissolved. King Edward VI's Commissioners stripped the church roof of lead and began to demolish the eastern chapels. Services continued in the ruined nave., In 1581, Queen Elizabeth I granted the church to the parishioners and some parts, including the nave, were rebuilt. They reduced the size of the church by building a new east wall, leaving the east end to fall into ruins outside., These views show how the eastern ruins looked in the early 19th century. Today, the church looks very different, because it was heavily restored in Victorian times. The great eastern window with stone tracery was rebuilt in the Norman style in 1863. A new clock turret was added after the tower collapsed in 1881.