page_title: St John the Baptist, Penshurst
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: St John the Baptist, Penshurst / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: St.John the Baptist&#39;s font, near to Penshurst, Kent, Great Britain. Brightly painted 15th century font in St.John the Baptist&#39;s church
context_page_description: St John the Baptist Church at Penshurst, Kent is a Grade I listed Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Rochester in England. Those buried or commemorated here include Knights, Earls, Viscounts, a Viceroy of India, a Governor-General of Australia, a Private Secretary to two Kings, two Field Marshals and two winners of the Victoria Cross. Through its courtiers, soldiers, statesmen, politicians or priests whose lives appear on memorials or through its changing architecture, brasses, carvings, effigies and windows, the church helps tell a country’s story through the eyes of single village.
context_section_description: St John the Baptist has a nave with North and South aisles and a South porch. The tower stands in the West. Side chapels are in the North-East, the South and the South-East. The latter is the "Sidney Chapel" (see below) which has its own porch and is directly connected with the church's chancel. The church is located set back from the street and in close proximity to Penshurst Place.
  The church's exterior is built from coursed sandstone ashlar. Sections of the present building can be traced to almost each century between the 12th and 19th. The roof was raised in the 14th century, the base of the tower added in the 15th, the present southern aisle in the 17th, the top of the tower in the 18th century, the northern aisle in the 19th century and now the north-eastern extension in the 21st century.
  On the interior, the church as no chancel arch, but a large timber arch of 1865–1866 which serves to divide nave and chancel. There are two arches of unequal width from the chancel to the North chapel, one with a hood mould with mid 14th century headstops, the other almost plain and much taller, with a triangular, possibly 15th century head. There is a 15th-century polygonal font with quatrefoils on the bowl and tracery on the stem, a stone pulpit of c.1865 in a hard Italianate style, with mosaic inlay and Roman-style carved heads. The chancel screen dates from 1895 and is by Bodley and Garner, in a very elaborate late Perpendicular style with delicate tracery and a coved loft. There is a similar screen in the North aisle. There is also some good heraldic glass of 1627 in the West window and glass of 1884 in the South clerestory by Holiday, as well as other good 19th century and early 20th century windows.
caption: font
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