St John's Parish Church

St John's stands on the lip of Hackleton's Cliff at around three hundred metres, and the view from the churchyard down over the Scotland District to the Atlantic is the best on the island from any building. The present church was built in 1836 after the 1831 hurricane destroyed its predecessor, in a Gothic style with a fine ribbed ceiling and a pulpit made from six different woods. The churchyard holds the grave of Ferdinando Paleologus, who died in 1678 and is described on the stone as a descendant of the last Christian emperors of Constantinople, a claim that has been debated ever since and never disproved.

What you actually see

• The clifftop view - the whole east coast from the churchyard.
• The pulpit - carved from six different woods.
• The Paleologus grave - a claimed descendant of the Byzantine emperors.
• The 1836 Gothic interior - ribbed ceiling and gallery.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the clearest for the view. Mornings are best before haze builds over the coast. The church keeps normal hours and closes during services.

Honest expectations

It is a parish church and takes half an hour; the view is the main reason to come. The road up is winding and narrow. There is no interpretation beyond a leaflet. The Paleologus claim is genuinely uncertain and is often stated more confidently by guides than the evidence supports.

Nearby

Codrington College is ten minutes; the east coast road is below.