St John the Evangelist
Walton, Cheshire
St John's is an acknowledged gem which has the appearance and polish of a miniature Cathedral.
Built of sandstone, most of the church was rebuilt in the 1870s, but the handsome tower is from the 1500s.
Inside, panels from the 16th century rood screen, destroyed during the Victorian rebuilding, are preserved. The pulpit is 17th century and elaborately carved.
It is the window in the Daniell chapel that draws most attention as it contains scenes from the Alice books. The brilliantly realised figures are based on John Tenniel's Alice book illustrations. The five scenes include the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, with the dormouse asleep in the teapot and an especially eccentric March Hare with straw in his hair. The stained glass artist was Geoffrey Webb, whose brother, Christopher, designed some of the glass at Bunbury.
