Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove

The Church of St John the Baptist stands in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove. Built in the 12th century, most of what visitors see today dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. Henry III gave the church and its lands to Worcester Priory in memory of his father King John, who is buried there. The church later passed to the Dean and Chapter after the Dissolution. In 1643 Charles I removed the vicar John Hall for his royalist views, and disputes over the vicarage continued through the Interregnum. The church holds notable monuments and memorials. A large First World War memorial lists Captain Noel Chavasse, one of only three people to receive the Victoria Cross twice. The north chapel contains 13th-century and early 16th-century alabaster monuments, including an effigy from 1517. The church also has a 3-manual pipe organ largely built by Nicholson of Malvern, first installed in 1808. Visitors find a Grade I listed building with a restored interior. The chancel displays the alabaster effigy while the north chapel holds older monuments. The churchyard contains shared gravestones of two railwaymen killed in a locomotive explosion. The organ, rebuilt over time, remains a central feature. The building’s history is visible in its architecture and memorials.