Church of St John the Baptist, Glastonbury

The Church of St John the Baptist stands in the heart of Glastonbury, Somerset. Built largely in the 15th century, it replaced an earlier church on the same site and now holds Grade I listed status. Excavations in the nave uncovered Saxon foundations beneath a later Norman arcade, showing continuous worship here for over a thousand years. The church follows a Perpendicular Gothic plan, with aisled nave, clerestory and west tower rising to 41 metres. Its walls combine Doulting stone, Street stone and local Tor burr, giving a warm, earthy texture. The building carries layers of history visible in its fabric. A surviving 12th-century chapel in the north aisle recalls medieval devotion, while 15th-century tomb-chests and stained glass mark the church’s late-medieval heyday. In 1856–57 Sir George Gilbert Scott restored the interior, re-emphasising its Gothic lines. The tower houses eight bells, the oldest recast in 1992, and a chiming clock without a face. Two carved figures by Ernst Blensdorf, made in 1945, flank the tower arch. Inside, visitors find medieval vestments, a 1500 cupboard from Witham Charterhouse and a 1936 memorial window by Archibald John Davies. Outside, the churchyard shelters a cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn, whose blossom goes to the monarch each Christmas. Near the gate, a seven-circuit labyrinth laid in 2007 marks the town’s 1705 charter. The church remains a living place of worship, linked with St Benedict’s and St Mary’s & All Saints in Meare, and its choir sings regularly in nearby cathedrals.