St John the Baptist Church, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The church of St John the Baptist dates from the early 12th century. It was built around the same time as the abbey which stood very close by. It is the largest parish church in the county. The great south porch, seen here in front of the tower, was added around 1490 for the administrative business of the abbey. In 1539 the abbey was closed during the Dissolution of the monasteries. All its buildings were demolished except for the gatehouse and the porch to the parish church. The upper floors of the porch were used as the Town Hall for some years. The church had a major restoration in 1865-7 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
