Saint John the Baptist Church, Penistone 3.22

Saint John the Baptist Church, Penistone Parish Church, or Penistone Church is a Church of England church in the Parish of Penistone, near Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. The church is a Grade I listed building and is located in the centre of the town of Penistone.HistoryThere are records which show priests belonging to a church in Penistone from the year 1200. However, masonry work in the church indicates parts could be over 1000 years old. There are also remains of a Saxon cross building into the church walls, possibly indicating an even older Christian involvement in the area. A further cross base and stump lie in the churchyard.The 80ft tower is around 500 years old, having been erected around 1500.The lychgate entrance to the church yard was constructed in 1959 as a memorial to Rev. Canon William Turnbull, who was vicar at the church 1855-1915, while the stainless steel weathervane on top of the tower, in the shape of a fish, was a handmade gift from a local resident in 1975. The fish is an early Christian symbol and its stainless steel represents local industry.The church windows contain a large amount of stained glass, much of it many hundreds of years old. New glass has been installed, most notably in 1992, to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Penistone Grammar School.