The Anglican Church of St John The Baptist in

Biddisham Badgworth is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, south west of Axbridge. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 525. The village is home to an equestrian centre known as the Badgworth Arena. ...

within the parish of Badgeworth,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England was built in the 13th century. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Following its original construction in the 13th century, on the site of an earlier two-cell church, parts of the church were rebuilt in the `15th. It underwent extensive

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proc ...

around 1860. The Crook Peak

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

and benefice are within the

Diocese of Bath and Wells The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells is located in the ...

Architecture

The stone church has a two- bay

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

and

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. The two-stage tower has a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

. The interior has a 12th century rectangular font. It has a scalloped bowl lined with lead. The churchyard cross which dates from the late 14th century is also Grade II* listed. The original two-step base and part of the polygonal shaft are still present, however the head of the cross is missing.

References

{{reflist Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor Grade II* listed churches in Somerset