St. John The Baptist Church

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Address: High Street, Tideswell

Description Also, known as ' The Cathedral of the Peak' despite not actually being a Cathedral, St. John The Baptist Church is a must-see when visiting Tideswell. In ‘Churches & Chapels in the County of Derby’, Rawlins said that Tideswell Church was ‘without exception the most perfect and beautiful specimen of pointed architecture to be found in the County, - or perhaps in any other parish church of its size in the entire Kingdom’. The church was constructed to a cruciform design with a perpendicular, pinnacled tower rising to 100 feet which was the last section to be built. The church stands as a landmark for miles around and has remained relatively unaltered since its construction. The high aisled and clerestoried nave is linked to the tower by a great arch and its beautifully proportioned chancel has tall traceried windows of clear glass, giving rise to a description of it as ‘one gallery of light and beauty’.   Building work began on this amazing building about 1340, and apart from a short spell around 1348-9 when Black Death wreaked havoc in Tideswell, it took about fifty years to complete. An earlier and much smaller chapel originally stood on the site, and it is possible to find evidence of this with traces of fabric in the western face of the Chancel as well as two gargoyles. On entering the church look out for the consecration crosses cut into the jambs of the doorway. Within the church is a 14th century font which was fortunately retrieved after having been left in the churchyard for a time, and used for mixing paint! On the left of the chancel is the organ with beautifully decorated organ pipes.   The lower part of the oak chancel screen is almost as old as the church itself whilst in the Chancel are the palimpsest brass to Bishop Purseglove and the alter tomb of Sir Sampson Meverell, Knight Constable of England under Henry VI who fought against Joan of Arc at the siege of Orleans. There is also a bench in memory of Advent Hunstone who was responsible for much of the Victorian carving and furniture within the church. The workshop of W.G. Hunstone could be found until only a few years ago in the Market Place at Tideswell, the family having had a long tradition of producing fine ecclesiastical furniture. On the north side of the tower is the carving of a cat crouched on a ledge, whilst in the churchyard there are the graves of William Newton ‘The Minstrel of the Peak’ and Samuel Slack who was noted for his singing. There are also the unmarked graves of child apprentices who died of neglect and cruelty at nearby mills. One headstone which has now been removed is said to have read: “Sarah Booker here she lies, nobody laughs, nobody cries Where she’s gone to and how she fares, nobody knows and nobody cares”