St John the Baptist church stands in the tiny village of Paworth
St Agnes. The church was to be bulldozed in the 1970s but has now
been restored by the charity 'The Friends of Friendless
Churches'.
There was a church here at Domesday and though now named St John
the Baptist, it was apparently dedicated to St Peter - and
presumably at some point dedicated to St Agnes as this small
village is named for her and presumably the church was hers.
The tower was entirely rebuilt in 1848 and the nave and chancel
followed in 1854. Bits of the old churches have been reused -
Pevsner's architectural guide suggests that the north doorway is
14th century, and the tower arch is 16th century. The most striking
thing is the unusual and rather attractive decoration of the
exterior surfaces - it's all covered with a chequer pattern of
whitish stone blocks alternating with panels of brown
fieldstones.
In the 70s, St John was declared redundant and very nearly
pulled down - only a campaign by locals and the Friends of
Friendless Churches managed to overturn the demolition order. A new
trust was set up - the Friends of Papworth St Agnes Church - and
they raised funds for restoration). By 1983, St John had undergone
a transformation into a community hall.
There is no collecting box and this is not a charity cache but,
if having explored the churchyard you feel like becoming a friend,
you can donate through the Friends of Friendless Churches website. Also take a
look at the Papworth St Agnes website for more information about
the church.