Churches of the British Isles

St John the Baptist, Middleton, lies on the north-east corner of Church Lane and Coppice Lane, to the west of the village. A Saxon church probably existed here, but no trace of it has been discovered. The present church is Norman, built probably towards the end of the twelfth century. The lower part of the nave and the walls of the chancel are part of the original Norman building but at this time it would have had a lower, more steeply pitched roof, and no north aisle or tower.

The church was enlarged towards the end of the thirteenth century with the addition of the north aisle which replaced the stone wall with an arcade. The original north door, opposite the present porch, was transferred to the new north wall. It was blocked up in 1875. In the fifteenth century the west tower was added. The pitched roof was probably replaced by a flatter version supported by higher walls. The porch was added in the eighteenth century.

The Church, Baxterley, stands on the southern side of Hipsley Lane where it meets Main Road, well to the west of the modern village of Baxterley itself and much closer to Wood End. The church has no known dedication, and stands in a beautifully rural setting. The oldest part of the building, the chancel, was put up about 1200, but additions were made throughout its life, including extensions in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with the nave added at the latter point.

The earl of Derby is thought to have given the church to Merevale Abbey in the twelfth century. The crumbling red sandstone west front and the diminutive tower seem to date from about 1600, although the tower's base was put in place about 1540. The present nave and north aisle appear to be part of the Victorian rebuilding and extension work that was carried out about 1875 by Paull and Bickerdike. The vestry and porch were also added at this time.

All photos on this page kindly contributed by Aidan McRae Thomson.