St John's Church

The church was built by the Benedictines based at Downside Abbey, which accounts for the substantial ancillary buildings intended to accommodate a small community of priests. It was handed over to the Diocese of Clifton in 1932. The building was bombed in 1942: four people died, and the south aisle was destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt in a similar Gothic style. The inscription commemorating this event is in Latin: "Hostili incursione diruta...". The steeple provides a nest for a breeding pair of peregrine falcons. The nesting site is monitored by a publicly viewable webcam.

The decorative Gothic-style spire dominates the city's skyline, which has irked some people, such as noted architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner, who accuses the church of being "a demonstrative proof of how intensely the Gothicists hated the Georgians of Bath." Christopher Martin takes a more measured view in his work on English Catholic churches, commenting "the stately interior is a good reflection of mid-Victorian taste", and remarking on the colourful polished marble, the exquisite screen, the blazing and triumphant white tabernacle, the delicate communion rails, a series of references to St John, and the chapels, each with something to admire. The structure was designed and built…