BASTON. CHURCH : ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

I first visited this church in the early days of shooting for this site. The day had started off in blazing sunshine, which vanished as soon as I set foot in Baston! It was dull and cloudy, ruining what photographs I took. A re-viit a week later saw improved lighting conditions but I decided to completely re-shoot this church again in February 2009, armed with a new and better camera than on the previous visits. Two weeks previously, this whole area had been hit by some of the worst snow in twenty years or so. All cleared up by the time that I visited though, indeed it seemed more like a spring morning, with a real hint of warmth in the air at times!

  There was a church mentioned in Baston when the Domesday Book was produced in 1086. No part of that structure remains now though. Work on the present building started in the 12th Century.

  As always, St John The Baptist was oepn and welcoming. Flowers were set out in one of the south windows on my last visit, and they looked beautiful with the sunlight streaming in.

  The south porch has an elaborate niche in it and a sundial at the top. The main door in to the church is thought to date from as early as the mid 17th Century, with this possibly being part of a restoration after damage caused during the Civil War. To prove that vandalism is not a purely modern day occurrence, there are initials carved in to the door, with one having the date of 1751. This sort of graffiti is quite common, but I have seen more in South Lincolnshire than anywhere else.

  The tower is perpundicular in design, dating it to the 15th Century. The top of the tower is castelated with pinacles on each of the fur corners. The west tower joins on to the nave, with north and south aisles. The chancel at the east end was rebuilt by the Victorians. Gargoyles surround the tower. At one point these would have been very fine pieces of work. Those on the west and south sides of the tower appear to have fared a little better over the years, but all are suffering from the ravages of time, but then again, aren't we all! The south aisle has a small bell cote built in to it.

  There are six bells in the tower. Two were recast in late Victorian times. The tenor bell originally dated from 1693 and had the inscription "Toby Norris Made Me". This was an inscription quite often found on bells made by Tobias Norris, bellfounders from Stamford.

  The clock on the tower dates from 1903, and was a memorial to the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. In the early 1950's, this clock was painted and overhauled at the expense of Baston Rifle Club as a memorial to three men of the village who were killed in the Second World War.

  The church grounds here are neat and tidey, and stretch away for a great distance to the east. Graves are mostly Georgian close to the church, moving on to Victorian and Edwardian the further from the church that you go. To my mind, the Victorians were not for the most part upholders of good taste and some of the graves here from this period are very large, ornate and ostentatious.

  There used to be a chapel in Baston, immediately to the north of the church. The building is still there, but now being used as a car showroom. An enjoyable three quarters of an hour spent here. Always a delight to spend some time here. Made my way back to the bus stop waiting for the Delaine taking me on to neighbouring Thurlby, my next stop on this gloriously sunny Saturday.