St John the Baptist's Church, Strensham

St John the Baptist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Strensham, Worcestershire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Clifton-Taylor includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.HistoryAlthough the church probably originated earlier, the earliest fabric still present is from the 14th century. This is to be found in the nave and the chancel. The tower was added in the late 14th or in the 15th century, and the nave windows were altered in the 15th century. In the early 19th century the vestry was added. The church has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1991.ArchitectureExteriorThe vestry is constructed in brick, and the rest of the church is in grey lias rubble. The whole of the exterior is rendered, and the roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave, a lower and narrower chancel, a south porch, a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttresses on the west corners, and a stair turret on the south east. In the lowest stage is a west doorway, above which is a three-light Perpendicular window. The middle stage contains a single-light window on the west side. The top stage contains a two-light bell opening on each side, and at the summit of the tower is an embattled parapet. In the chancel, the east window has three lights, the south wall contains a priest's door and a two-light window, and the north wall has a single-light window. The vestry has an embattled parapet. In both the north and south walls of the nave are a doorway, one single-light and two two-light windows. Above the south doorway is a sundial.