The Hitching Rail: The Architecture and Artefacts of St John's

By Sally Clark, Local Historian

While a wooden church may have existed here in Saxon times, land records show the earliest stone church was built during the reign of Henry II (1154–1189). Described as a simple chapelle in 1226, it was extensively expanded around 1270 to include a tower, nave, and chancel (which form the south aisle of the church we see today).

Traces of the Original Medieval Walls

Though the original walls have since been encased in modern brick, a portion was exposed during tower doorway renovations in 1898.

Architects described the historic core as being constructed of chalk and local ironstone conglomerate, a peaty-soil material identical to the surviving late 12th-century south aisle wall at St Lawrence’s Church in nearby Chobham.

The Looting of the Reformation (1517–1547)

During the turbulent years of the Protestant Reformation, Windlesham’s church was neglected and eventually looted.

By the time King Edward VI’s Church-Goods Commissioners checked the parish inventory in 1547 to strip away Roman Catholic imagery, they noted that almost everything of value had already been stolen by thieves. All that remained of Windlesham’s historic plate and effects was:

• “An olde cope with a vestment”

• “An old rood clothe”

• “Four little bells in the tower”

Surviving Historic Treasures

1. The Chained Book of Bishop Jewel (1567)

During restoration work in 1838, a carpenter discovered a book hidden deep in the woodwork beneath the pulpit floor.

Originally thought to be Queen Elizabeth I's mandated 1562 Apologie of the Church of England, church archivist Mr. D. Seccombe later identified it as an incomplete section of Bishop Jewel's Defence of the Apologie, published in 1611. The book's leather binding dates to the reign of Edward VI and beautifully bears the Tudor Insignia of Queen Catherine of Aragon and Henry VII.

2. The 17th-Century Bible Box

As Bibles became more widely available following the King James translation of 1611, "Bible Boxes" became popular tools to lock away and protect these valuable books. St John’s still houses an exceptional oak and metal Bible Box dating from the first half of the 17th century.

The Great Lightning Strike of 1676

On June 20, 1676, disaster struck. Lightning hit the steeple, causing a fire that completely gutted the building. A petition sent to the Bishop of Winchester by devastated residents described the aftermath:

"...the Steeple and part of the Body of the Church of Windlesham was Burnt down by lightning, the Bells melted, and many of the Seates burnt, and spoiled, and that the remaining part of the said Church is soe miserably shaken and cracked."

The 1680 Rebuilding

The church was painstakingly rebuilt in 1680 to its original dimensions, though the tower was kept purposefully shorter to prevent future lightning strikes.

If you look closely inside the church today, you can still find:

• A commemorative plaque on the inner tower wall put up by Churchwardens John Attfield and Richard Cotterell.

• Medieval glass fragments from the 13th and 15th centuries reworked into the South aisle windows.

• The Sanctus bell, which was cast in 1686 to replace the melted bells and remains in the tower to this day.