The parish church at Croxton Kerrial is a substantial 12th–15th century medieval building dedicated to St Botolph and St John the Baptist. It sits at the centre of the village and has long been linked with the former Premonstratensian Croxton Abbey, giving it a rich ecclesiastical heritage. Its tall west tower, wide nave, and distinctive medieval benches make it one of the most characterful churches in the region.

 

The site almost certainly supported pre-Conquest (Saxon-era) Christian activity, with documentary sources indicating an earlier settlement and religious presence before the Norman stone church was erected. The earliest surviving architectural elements (including the tower arches) date from the late 12th century, and the church was substantially rebuilt during the 15th century, giving it its Perpendicular windows and clerestory. After the Dissolution, many of the abbey’s remarkable mid-15th century carved benches – depicting dragons, owls, musicians, clergy and benefactors – were moved into the parish church. In 1866–68, architect Sir George Gilbert Scott carried out a major Victorian restoration, reroofing the church, removing the gallery, and skillfully re-seating the nave using the medieval bench ends. The history fully fits the introductory description: a 12th–15th century medieval church on a Saxon-era site, restored in the Victorian era.