Old Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a church dating from circa 1785, built on the site of, and likely incorporating remains of, a medieval church. It is constructed of dressed sandstone with a Lakeland slate roof, featuring a stone ridge and gable copings, and is an example of churchwarden style architecture. The building comprises a nave with a north transept and north-west vestry, a chancel, and a west tower.

The three-stage tower has a round-headed south doorway; a pointed fixed-light west window with intersecting glazing bars in the middle stage; round-headed bell openings; and an embattled parapet. The three-bay nave features round-headed windows with small, square, horizontal sashes in the lower parts, and intersecting glazing bars. There are square fixed-light windows with glazing bars in the west end of the north wall and in the west wall, illuminating a gallery area and space below the gallery. A tall rectangular opening high in the east end of the north wall is partly blocked with a square light in the upper part. A sundial with a floating cornice is set into the south wall. The transept has round-headed sash windows with intersecting glazing bars and an end stack. The chancel’s east window is Venetian, with fixed lights and glazing bars. A round-headed priest’s doorway is located next to a similar round-headed window. A buttress with offsets appears on the north wall of the chancel. Square iron downpipes and gutterings are present, with decorative brackets.

Inside, the walls are plastered. The ceiling is missing, exposing Queen-post roof trusses with diagonal bracing in the nave. A west gallery rests on four slender, fluted wood columns, including a high panelled front and raked seating. Timber fittings are oak-grained. A three-decker pulpit with a tester features a dentil cornice and Vitruvian scroll brattishing. Panelled box pews with doors are arranged in an 18th-century “Prayerbook” liturgical arrangement around the pulpit on the north side of the nave. Names of pew renters are inscribed on the wall panelling. A round-headed chancel arch is present. The wood communion rails have turned balusters. The transept was formerly used as a family pew, and contains partly panelled walls, similar box pews, and a fireplace in the north wall. Several good 17th and 18th century monuments are located in the north wall of the chancel. Painted wood commandment boards and biblical texts are on the north and east walls of the chancel, and the east spandrel of the chancel arch. A matrix of a medieval brass memorial remains. The church also contains three medieval stone coffins and one carved coffin lid. An outhouse adjoining the north side of the chancel is not of significance. The church was disused and dilapidated at the time of survey.