Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

A parish church of major historical significance, with a 12th-century nave as its core, expanded and modified substantially through the medieval period and later. The building underwent significant Victorian restoration in the 19th century and was undergoing further renovation at the time of survey.

The church comprises a west tower, a three-bay nave with three-bay north aisle, a four-bay south aisle with south porch, and a three-bay chancel. The tower is 14th-century, constructed in three stages with limestone and sandstone ashlar. It features a moulded plinth, full-height diagonal buttresses with offsets, and moulded string courses between stages. The first stage contains a pointed three-light west window with Perpendicular tracery, with a moulded sill string course and hoodmould returned as a string course. The second stage has small round-headed single-light trefoiled windows to the south and west, and pointed two-light traceried belfry openings with hoodmoulds. The tower is topped with a moulded string course and coped embattled parapet.

The main body of the church is built from a mixture of random cobbles and brick (particularly to the south aisle, chancel, and nave east end), with limestone ashlar for dressings throughout and to the north aisle and nave clerestory. The south porch is roofed with pantile, whilst the remainder of the church has lead roofs.

The north aisle dates from the late 12th to early 13th centuries. It features a chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses with moulded angles, and a 12th to 13th-century round-arched door of three shafted orders. The outer pairs of shafts to this door are missing, but it retains nailhead moulding to the inner capitals, and nailhead, lozenge, keeled and roll mouldings to the arch. The aisle has square-headed two-light trefoiled windows with incised spandrels, a corbelled string course, and a coped parapet.

The south aisle is of later 13th-century origin, with the east section rebuilt in the 15th to 16th centuries. It has a plinth and angle buttresses. The south side displays a restored 13th-century pointed two-light window with Y-tracery, a 15th to 16th-century square-headed cinquefoiled window with incised spandrels, and a 13th-century pointed three-light window with intersecting tracery. A pointed single-light rounded-trefoil window is present to the west, and a blocked round-headed west door with brick surround is visible.

The nave clerestory is of late 14th-century date and features pointed two-light traceried windows with moulded string courses and coped embattled parapets.

The chancel dates from the 15th to 16th centuries. It has a moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses, and buttresses between bays. The south side displays a pair of square-headed three-light cinquefoiled windows and a similar window beneath a triangular head, together with a restored pointed moulded door with hoodmould. The north side has similar square-headed three-light and five-light windows, and a blocked door to a rebuilt central bay flanked by cobble buttresses. A large pointed five-light east window with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould dominates the east end.

The south porch was rebuilt around 1720 and repaired in 1811. It features a plinth, round-headed outer arch with two-course brick imposts, and a brick-coped gable with an ashlar sundial dated 1811 and inscribed with the names of churchwardens. The inner arch is pointed and moulded with a hoodmould and weathered stops.

Interior

The three-bay north arcade consists of pointed arches of two plain orders, with traces of painted chevrons visible to the west bay. These rest on cylindrical piers with plain moulded capitals and bases. The west pier and east respond feature cross-shaped abaci and pedestals.

The four-bay south arcade has pointed double-chamfered arches on a central quatrefoil pier flanked by cylindrical piers and foiled responds, all with plain moulded capitals and bases. The east pier is notable for medieval graffiti in the form of a ship drawing.

The tower arch is tall and pointed with double-chamfered profile, resting on chamfered responds with plain moulded bases and capitals featuring carved leaves and grotesques in the angles of the chamfers. The chancel arch is similarly detailed, with pointed double-chamfered arches on chamfered responds with plain moulded capitals and bases.

A pointed doorway to the pulpit is located at the east end of the north arcade, perhaps originally serving as access to the rood loft. It features a 19th-century moulded plaster surround, hoodmould and foliate stops.

The south aisle contains a square aumbry and a moulded trefoiled piscina with incised spandrels, a projecting bowl and carved basin. Pointed chamfered arch reveals to 13th-century windows are present.

The chancel contains a 12th-century pillar piscina, discovered during the 1863 renovations. It comprises four clustered shafts with a moulded cushion capital and base, supporting a basin. A small square-headed wave-moulded north door with a surround bearing carved paterae is also present.

Monuments

The chancel displays 18th-century floorslabs and a pair of marble wall tablets with fluted pilasters and coffins on obelisk bases: one to the Pattinson family of around 1766, and another of 1808 to Robert Pattinson, which copies the earlier design. The south aisle contains a notable marble wall monument to John and Joan Overton of 1651, featuring a large base with a carved scrolled apron, moulded cornice and open segmental pediment with arms in a cartouche, supporting an inscribed tablet with verse. This is flanked by Corinthian columns carrying a segmental entablature and pediment surmounted by urns and arms in a cartouche.

13th-century incised graveslabs have been reused as lintels and jambs to two north aisle windows. A mutilated mensa slab, reused as a gravestone, is present in the north aisle.

An octagonal 14th-century font with a plain moulded bowl remains in situ.

Historical context

The church underwent restorations to the chancel in 1863 and to the nave and aisles in 1890. The south porch was rebuilt around 1720 and repaired in 1811, with the latter repair commemorated by the dated sundial and churchwardens' names on the porch gable.