St John the Baptist's Church, Collingham

St John the Baptist’s Church stands in the village of Collingham, Nottinghamshire, as a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England. The building dates from the 12th century, with later restorations shaping its present form. Rev. Joseph Mayor oversaw work in 1846, while J. H. Hakewill led further repairs in 1862–63. The tower was restored in 1886 and again in 1890, showing how the community kept the church in good order across the 19th century. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and the craftsmen who worked on it. Hakewill’s 1862–63 restoration removed the gallery, raised the chancel walls and fitted a new timber roof. Forster and Andrews enlarged the organ in 1863, and Wordsworth and Maskell replaced it in 1883. Thomas Mears cast the peal of five bells in 1841, adding to the building’s heritage. Inside, visitors find a nave with open benches of Memel timber, a pine pulpit and oak altar rail. Stuccoed walls carry memorial tablets and zinc panels displaying the Ten Commandments. The cathedral-glass windows and stone dressings add to the interior’s quiet dignity. The raised chancel and timber roof frame the space, while the tower’s bells mark the passing hours.