Bredgar

St John the Baptist

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St John the Baptist, Bredgar
Image source: John Salmon

This is a collegiate church, with much work of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. When the college was founded by Robert de Bredgar in 1393 the nave and south aisle were completely rebuilt. It was a case of premature enlargement, for the college was a very small foundation and seems to have used the existing north chapel for its services. In all events, the very cheap form of sedilia in the chancel - a dropped window-sill - shows that very little money was left after the completion of the west tower. This also meant that there was insufficient cash for the west door and instead of introducing a brand new feature, they re-used a Norman doorway! This reinforces the point that one should never date a wall by the architectural features within it. There is a small brass of one of the collegiate priests, Thomas Coly (d. 1518), whilst the house in which he lived survives on the opposite side of the road.

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