The Church of St. John the Baptist in Little Maplestead is one of just four round churches still in use in England. It was built on a site given to the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, known as the Knights Hospitallers, and is still associated with the Order today.
This Order was originally established in 1092 in Jerusalem, with the building of a hospice to accommodate pilgrims visiting holy places, and was first introduced in England around 1144.