St John the Baptist's Church, Allington

St John the Baptist’s Church stands in the quiet village of Allington, south-east of Amesbury in Wiltshire. It is a small redundant Anglican church rebuilt in 1851, though its earliest parts date from the 12th century. The building is made of knapped flint and limestone with a tiled roof and a two-stage tower topped by a crenellated parapet. The nave has square-headed windows, and the chancel contains re-set lancet windows from the late 12th or early 13th century. The church has been Grade II listed since before its care passed to the Friends of Friendless Churches in 2011. The church is worth visiting for its careful 19th-century restoration by Fr William Grey, who recreated the 13th-century plan. Inside, the chancel walls are decorated with stencil and freehand work by Heaton, Butler and Bayne from 1876. The stained glass in the east window also comes from the same firm and shows the Crucifixion. The font is a 19th-century replica of a 12th-century original, and the church holds pews from the 16th and 17th centuries. A connection to Jane Austen is found through Revd Thomas Fowle, engaged to Cassandra Austen, who died in the West Indies in 1797. Visitors find a rendered nave with a 19th-century wagon roof and encaustic-tiled chancel flooring. The porch contains an oak coffer with three locks and a 17th-century stool. Outside, the churchyard holds two Grade II-listed coffin tombs from the 18th century and two chest tombs from the early 19th century. The tower’s bell openings and gargoyles add to the building’s character. The interior’s simple oak pulpit and matching pews complete the historic atmosphere.