St John the Baptist Church, Harleston

St John the Baptist Church is a place of worship in Harleston, Norfolk, England in the parish of Redenhall with Harleston. Located on Broad Street, St John's is a Grade II listed building.^[1] It is one of the seven churches that make up the collective Benefice of Redenhall with Scole, which are located across the Waveney Valley.^[2]

The church was built in 1872 by R. M. Phipson.^[1] Harleston, which has existed since the 13th century, did not have a large church of its own up to this point, and as such St John's is a chapel of ease. Its stained glass was from a single commission from the O'Connors.^[3]

By 2025, the church was being used as a community hub,^[2] and Waveney food bank operated there.^[4] On 2 October 2025, the church caught fire, causing significant internal damage, though firefighters saved a lot of its structure and kept the roof intact.^[2] An investigation found the fire was accidental and had begun in the church's kitchen.^[4]

The church is in a gothic style, and is made of flint with stone dressings. It features a steep slated roof, a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and a chancel with polygonal apse. It has north and south transepts, with the south transept including a stone bellcote. There is a large traceried west window, and a portal below with a moulded arch.^[1] At least prior to 2025, most of the O'Connors glass remained, with the west window of original glass being restored in 2010. Some modern stained glass depicted the local landscape and the church's patron.^[3]

• Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Redenhall
• Media related to St John the Baptist's church, Harleston, Norfolk at Wikimedia Commons