Ken Ince's Pictures of Barnack

St John The Baptist, Barnack

It is thought that there may well have been a church here since the seventh century, but the oldest survivng part of the present structure is the lower two sections of the west tower, which date from arounf 1000. The belfry and the spire date from around 200 years later. On the south side of the tower, just underneath the clock, there is a vertical band of Saxon carvings, with a depiction of a bird sitting on top. Just about the whole of the church was built using local Barnack stone, or "Barnack Rag" as it was called, which was dug up from a quarry on the edge of the village. This had been used since Roman times. Barnack Rag was used in many churches throughout the area, as well as private dewllings, but most of the better quality stone had been taken out by 1460. Today the quarry is still there, and is a protected area, known as the Hills and Hollows. Today, six bells hang in the belfry.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
Barnack, Churches around Peterborough, Churches

Camera Make: FUJIFILM Model: FinePix4900ZOOM