Church of St. John the Baptist, Muston

St. John the Baptist is a simple rural parish church, without elaborate gargoyles or carvings. On the outside of the building there are small carved heads on the ends of the mouldings round the windows.

Label-end carving. Head of a woman.

Many of these are very eroded.

Eroded carving of man’s head

Most are faces, some serene,

Label-end carving, Muston. Head of a man.

some distorted.

Distorted Face

A few are images of unidentifiable beasts.

Head of a Creature.

There is a band of carvings around the tower, barely visible from below.

The band of carvings around the tower.

The medieval masons obviously thought this was a chance to have some fun.

Some of the tower carvings.

There can be little doubt of the comic intention here.

Gurning faces

Sometimes the message even seems a touch subversive.

Who is he poking his tongue out at?