Initials "WMS" above the entrance together with the date 1827.

Listed in Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire 1919

"Rose William, Plough P.H"

and in White's Directory 1856

"Plough, James Parker Ward"

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The church of St John Baptist was built in 1839-40. It has a very small porch and a bellcote over the west gable.

September 2017

The architect of St John Baptist church was Robert Ellis of Fleet. It has a short chancel and is in Gothic style with pointed arch windows.

September 2017

The church is built in Gothic style using red brick laid in English bond with dentilated cornices and hood moulds over the windows.

Limestone is used for splays in the buttresses and in the construction of the bellcote.

September 2017

View of west front. 

Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire 1919 states :-

"HOLBEACH FEN, in the Fen district of the parish; is about 4.5 miles south from Holbeach, and was constituted an ecclesiastical parish June 28, 1867:

the parish includes all of the portions of Holbeach, Fleet and Gedney parishes lying south of the Little South Holland Drain.

St. John's church, erected in 1840 on a site given by the 14th Duke of Somerset K.G. is a building in the Early English style, consisting of chancel and nave and a turret containing one bell:

there are about 200 sittings"

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Corner stone of the church was laid on June 14th 1839. An information sheet in the church states :-  

"A plan, designed by Robert Ellis Jnr. of Fleet, being approved, the foundation stone was laid on June 14th this year, a very rainy day.

A few silver and copper coins were placed in the cavity of the stone, and a glass bottle containing the following writing on parchment:-

'The Corner Stone of this Church, called the Church of St.John, in Holbeach fen, was laid by Margaret, the wife of James Morton B.D., Vicar of Holbeach, on the XIV day of June in the year of Our Lord MDCCCXXXIX.

This Church was built and endowed by voluntary subscription; John, Bishop of Lincoln, gave £800, George Tomline Esq gave £300, R. Dodds, Rector of Fleet £200, J.Morton, Vicar of Holbeach £100.

The Duke of Somerset gave an acre of land".  

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The interior of the church is plastered and whitewashed, It has a hammerbeam roof structure with crossed braces.

September 2017

Looking east towards the chancel.

White's Directory of Lincolnshire 1856 (before the parish was separated from Holbeach in 1867) states :-

"A neat Chapel of Ease dedicated to St. John, was built in the Fen, about 4.5 miles S. of the town, in 1840, at the cost of £800, raised by subscription, and endowed with 13 acres of land.

It has 280 sittings, all free, and service is performed in it by the vicar or his curate" 

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Looking west towards the entrance.

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A relatively modern font, probably dating from the construction of the church in 1840.

September 2017

Presumably dates from 1840 when the church was opened for worship.

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"This Chapel was erected in the year MDCCCXL. It contains 280 sittings and in consequence of a Grant from the Incorporated Society for promoting the enlargement, building and repairing of Churches and Chapels. The whole of the number are hereby declared to be free and unappropriated for ever"

Until the early/mid twentieth century, it was common practice in Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches to rent pews in churches to families or individuals as a principal means of raising income.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pew#Pew_rents 

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View from Joy's Bank.

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Opposite to The Plough public house fronting the B1168.

16 names for World War 1 and 3 for World War 2.

DB 24 March 2019