St John the Baptist
Royston, Yorkshire
'St John’s is clearly well cared for and well maintained; all concerned are to be commended for their care of one of the region’s most important historic buildings'.
It has been described by Pevsner as ‘his grittiest church’, and provides an oasis of calm in an otherwise busy environment. The church was built for Edward Montagu, Earl of Wharncliffe in 1878/9. It was built in memory of his father, John, Lord Wharncliffe to serve the growing mining community of Carlton.
The church comprises a nave, Lady Chapel and chancel. The most striking feature is its ‘saddleback tower’ which is an important feature of the local landscape. The church contains a fine three manual JJ Binns Organ dating from 1898 (incorporating earlier work probably by Nicholson of Bradford). It has recently been rebuilt by Wood of Huddersfield. A new gallery at the west end of the church has given the opportunity to provide Community Facilities within the building.
There is a fine War Memorial in Portland stone in the lovely churchyard, which features many species of daffodil in the spring.