Glastonbury, Somerset - St. John's Church & Holy Thorn - Harvey Parton c.1970s

^{Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.}

^{Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).}

^{------------------------------------------------}

^{Postage & Packing:}

^{Postage and packing charge should be showing for your location (contact if not sure).}

^{No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. Please wait for combined invoice. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).}

^{Payment Methods:}

^{UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order}

^{Outside UK: PayPal ONLY (unless otherwise stated) please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).}

^{NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!}

^{I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.}

^{----------------------------------------------}

^{Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :}

^{*************}

^{Described as "one of the most ambitious parish churches in Somerset",[1]} the present Church of St John the Baptist in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.^[2]

^{The present church replaced an earlier one. Though documentary evidence for St Johns survives only from the later 12th century, other evidence tends to suggest that a church existed on this site at a significantly earlier date.[3]} According to legend, the original church was built by Saint Dunstan in the tenth century.^[4] Recent excavations in the nave have revealed the foundations of a large central tower that possibly dated from Saxon times, and a later Norman nave arcade on the same plan as the existing one. A central tower survived until the 15th Century, but is believed to have collapsed, at which time the church was rebuilt.^[5] In the north aisle, 12th century fabric survives in the former Saint Katherine's Chapel.^[6]

^{The church was used for shelter by Monmouth's troops in June 1685 during the Monmouth Rebellion.[7] It is also recorded that on four occasions between 1800 and 1804, French prisoners of war were locked up for the night inside the church, presumably whilst in transit.[8]}

^{Between 1856-57 the church was restored and reseated by Sir George Gilbert Scott at a cost of £3000, and its gothic character re-emphasized.[5] The church conforms in its entirety to a style of architecture known as Perpendicular Gothic.}

^{The church is built of Doulting stone, Street stone and the local Tor burr,[5]} and is laid out in a cruciform plan with an aisled nave and a clerestorey of seven bays.

^{The interior of the church includes four 15th-century tomb-chests, some 15th-century stained glass in the chancel, medieval vestments, and a domestic cupboard of about 1500 which was once at Witham Charterhouse.[9]}

^{At the front of the tower are two large carvings, the 'Madonna with Child' and the 'Resurrection Christ' - early works of Ernst Blensdorf, carved in 1945, after his escape from the Nazis.[8]}

^{The west tower has elaborate buttressing, panelling and battlements. The tower rises to a height of 134½ feet (about 41 metres), and is the second tallest parish church tower in Somerset.[5]During the 15th century the present tower at the western end of the church replaced an earlier central tower.[10] The tower is said to have inspired numerous others, including the tower of Northington Parish Church in Hampshire.[11] The tower is unusual in that it has a chiming clock, but no clock face.[5]}

^{There has been a set of bells at St John's Church since 1403. The oldest existing bell was originally made in 1612 and inscribed 'I sound to bid the sick repent in hope of life when breath is spent'. This bell was recast in 1992. The ring of six bells was augmented to a ring of eight in 1878[12]} The largest, the tenor bell, is about 14 cwt or about 712 kg and the smallest, the treble, is about 5 cwt or 250 kg.^[5]

^{In the churchyard is a thorn tree grown from a cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn. A blossom from this tree is sent to the Queen every Christmas.[13] At the end of term, the pupils of St John’s Infants School gather round the tree in St John’s parish churchyard on the High Street. They sing carols, including one specially written for the occasion, and the oldest pupil has the privilege of cutting the branch of the Glastonbury Thorn that is then taken to London and presented to Her Majesty The Queen.}

^{The tercentennial labyrinth, located close to the church gates, was laid in 2007, to celebrate Glastonbury receiving its town charter from Queen Anne in 1705. This is a grass labyrinth of the classical seven circuit design, its path delineated by blue lias stonework, which is a local stone present in the Tor. The labyrinth was conceptualized and designed by Sig Lonegren (a Glastonbury geomancer and author). The laying of the labyrinth was delayed due to various problems in securing a site.[14]}