Church of St. John the Baptist, Niton

The Church of St John the Baptist stands in the village of Niton on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight. Built of stone, it overlooks the English Channel and the chalk cliffs of the Undercliff. The church’s oldest parts date from the 11th century, when William FitzOsbern founded it and gave it to a Norman abbey. In the 19th century the Victorians restored and rebuilt much of the fabric. A Norman font survives from the church’s earliest years, and the nave still shows 11th-century work. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and the memorials it holds. A 14th-century chancel and south porch were added, then a 15th-century chapel with a four-centred arch. The Perpendicular Gothic west tower was built late in the same century. John Flaxman’s memorial portrait of a woman with pelicans in relief can be seen on the wall. The registers begin in 1560 and record Charles II’s dramatic landing at nearby Puckaster in 1675. Inside, the modern reredos in the chancel contrasts with the older architecture. Outside the porch stands a 19th-century Celtic cross on the steps of the old churchyard cross. Nearby a marble monument marks the grave of Edward Edwards, the public library pioneer. Four Commonwealth war graves lie in the churchyard, three from the First World War and one from the Second. The building offers quiet spaces to study its stonework and memorials.