St John The Baptist Church Treswell

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St John the Baptist Church, Treswell is the historic parish church of the small Nottinghamshire village of Treswell, near Retford. It is a Grade I listed Church of England building, recognised as being of exceptional architectural and historic interest. The church has evolved over several centuries, with work dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, and later Victorian restoration.

Architecturally, the church is built of local stone and combines Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular Gothic styles. Its plan consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch, and a sturdy west tower with diagonal buttresses and battlements containing three bells. The tower, nave, and porch are crowned with battlements, giving the church a distinctive medieval silhouette.

Inside, the church retains many attractive medieval and Victorian features. Highlights include:

• A fine 13th-century south doorway decorated with nail head ornament.
• An elegant 14th-century chancel, praised by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner.
• A 15th-century Perpendicular arcade with octagonal piers separating the nave from the north aisle.
• A large east window with elaborate cusped tracery.
• An octagonal medieval font decorated with quatrefoil panels.
• Victorian oak furnishings, including the screen, pews, and reredos, which complement the medieval fabric.

The church's origins go back at least to about 1130, when it was granted in part to Worksop Priory. Although there is no mention of a church in the Domesday Book, documentary evidence shows it was well established by the early 12th century.

Its dedication was once recorded as either St Wilfrid or St John the Baptist, with the latter becoming the permanent dedication. During the medieval period the parish was unusual in having two rectories.

Set among mature trees beside the peaceful village churchyard, St John the Baptist remains an important landmark in Treswell. Its blend of medieval craftsmanship, later restoration, and tranquil rural setting makes it one of Nottinghamshire's finest small parish churches.

St John's is currently undergoing an extensive makeover in order to restore its natural charm whilst at the same time making it fully accessible to all.

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