St John the Baptist in the Wilderness

St John the Baptist in the Wilderness is located in a rural idyll - the Elphin Brook runs under the bridge in front of the church, and on down to the village of Mytholmroyd below, where it joins the river Calder. The building of the church started in 1837 on donated land and it was consecrated in 1839. The church is built of local stone. The ceiling in the church is of an interesting construction which enables it to span the whole width of the church without any vaulting or lowering. In 1991, major structural work was carried out on the tower at a cost of £21,000 which was all raised locally within the community. The churchyard is the final resting place of many of the Hinchliffe family, major mill owners, as well as a wide range of other notable local families.