St John the Baptist's Church, Broughton

St John's is constructed in sandstone, and has slate roofs. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave, a north porch, a chancel with an organ chamber to the south, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttresses, an embattled parapet and a southwest stair turret. On the west side of the tower is a doorway, above which is a three-light window with Perpendicular tracery. In the top stage are three-light louvred bell openings, and small gargoyles near the corners. A string course below the parapet carries the date 1533 on the south side. The nave is in Early English style, and has a large lancet window in each bay, the bays being separated by shallow buttresses. The chancel and organ chamber are in Perpendicular style, with square-headed windows, and an embattled parapet. The east window has three lights. In the gable of the organ chamber are re-set stones dating from the 16th century carved with the shields and initials of local families.[2]

The font consists of a large rough bowl, whose date is unknown. Also in the church is a brass chandelier dated 1817. The stained glass in the chancel consists of a scheme of the 1930s by Powells. Also in the church are windows of 1952 by A. F. Erridge, of 1985 by Jane Gray, and of 1999 by Halton Stained Glass. The monuments include a fragment dated 1714, and a brass dated 1908.[3] The three-manual pipe organ was built in 1906 by Henry Ainscough of Preston at a cost of £800 (equivalent to £92,000 in 2021).[6] It was repaired in 1928 and overhauled in 1941. Additions to the organ were made in 1967 and in 1980 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool.[7] There is a ring of six bells, all cast in 1884 by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.[8]