Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Burstwick is home to this parish church, a Grade I listed building that spans several centuries of development. The church comprises a 13th-century nave, an early 14th-century south chapel, a mid-15th-century tower with a reset mid-13th-century west window, a 15th-century chancel, north aisle and north chapel. The building underwent significant restorations in 1830, 1853 (which included rebuilding the south porch), and 1893 (reflooring, reseating and reroofing).

The exterior shows varied construction materials reflecting different periods. The tower is built of split cobbles with ashlar facing to the west side of the first stage. The nave and south transept are cobble-built, while the north aisle and chancel are ashlar. The south porch is red brick. Limestone ashlar dressings are used throughout. The roofs are slate over the nave, chancel and north aisle; lead over the south and north chapels; and pantile over the porch.

The plan consists of a western tower, a four-bay nave with south porch, a transeptal south chapel with north aisle, and a two-bay chancel with north chapel.

The three-stage tower features a moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses with offsets, and weathered string courses between stages. Stair-lighting slits are positioned at the south-west angle. The first stage contains a pointed transomed three-light west window with curvilinear tracery in a hollow-chamfered reveal with hoodmould. Above this is a trefoiled ogee-headed niche with a crocketed hood, a carved corbel of an angel holding a shield, and flanking pinnacled buttress shafts. The second stage has slit-lights to north and south, and shows the outline of an earlier nave gable to the east. The third stage features pointed two-light traceried belfry openings with hollow-chamfered reveals, a moulded string course, a coped embattled parapet with bases of former angle pinnacles, and carved head corbels to each side supporting shafts for former central pinnacles.

The nave's south side displays a triangular-headed three-light window with Perpendicular tracery and a lancet inserted in 1853 to the left of the porch.

The south chapel has a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses with offsets and crocketed gablets with finials. Its pointed three-light south window (possibly a reset 13th-century window) features partly-restored geometric tracery, a double-chamfered reveal, moulded mullions and a hoodmould with head stops. A moulded string course runs beneath a coped parapet with a cross finial and plain pinnacles to the gable.

The south porch, rebuilt in 1853, has a plinth capped with a three-course ovolo-moulded brick band. Its basket-arched outer doorway and tumbled-in brickwork to the raised gable are characteristic of red-brick work. Inside is a pointed chamfered door with a hoodmould.

The north aisle and north chapel feature a moulded plinth, angle buttresses and buttresses between bays with offsets. A pointed door to the nave has two hollow-chamfered orders with an ornate hoodmould. Windows comprise one single square-headed two-light window, five square-headed three-light windows with Perpendicular tracery (some partly restored), a similar two-light west window and a three-light east window. A moulded string course runs below a ridge-coped parapet.

The chancel has a moulded plinth, angle and mid-buttresses similar to those of the north aisle and north chapel. It contains a pointed moulded south door and segmental-headed three-light traceried windows (one with restored tracery). The large segmental-headed five-light east window has similar partly-restored tracery. A moulded string course runs beneath a ridge-coped parapet with a rebuilt gable.

Interior

The interior features a four-bay north arcade of flattened pointed double-chamfered arches on tall octagonal piers with plain moulded capitals and bases. A pointed double-chamfered tower arch rises on chamfered responds with plain moulded capitals and bases.

A pointed double-chamfered arch to the south chapel has a hoodmould and carved animal-head stops, with filleted shafted responds with plain moulded capitals and bases. The arch's inner face also has a hoodmould and head stops. The chapel contains single sedilia with a moulded ogee arch and a richly-crocketed hoodmould with finial and head stops, adjacent to a rounded cinquefoiled piscina with a moulded reveal, restored bowl and blind quatrefoils in the spandrels. The window features a double-chamfered reveal, moulded mullions, hoodmould and head stops.

A pointed triple-chamfered chancel arch has continuous chamfers with a single head stop on the south side of the east face. A square-headed squint is positioned on the south side of the arch.

A pointed double-chamfered arch connects the north aisle and north chapel (now the organ-chamber and vestry), carried on octagonal responds with plain moulded capitals and bases.

The chancel opens to the north chapel through a wide segmental-pointed double-chamfered arch. A pointed wave-moulded north door is present. The chancel also has chamfered segmental-arched sedilia, a pointed chamfered piscina and a small square-headed aumbry to the south.

The roofs throughout are 19th-century in date. The chancel roof is notable for wall shafts carried on ornate carved stone corbels.

A black marble floorslab in the north chapel commemorates Sir Mathew Appleyard (died 1669) and his wife Frances (died 1683), featuring a marginal inscription and a central roundel with arms and full achievement in relief. An adjacent floorslab to Stephen Hatfield, Lord of Holderness, and his wife Elizabeth displays arms with indents for brasses.

Marble and ashlar wall tablets in the chancel commemorate: Leonard and Ann Metcalf of 1749 with arms in a cartouche; Mathew Witham of 1790 on an obelisk base; and Rev Henry Earl of 1870 with a draped urn, designed by W D Keyworth of Hull.

The font is a 12th-century cylindrical tub with plain moulding to the underside, a cylindrical shaft, plain moulded base and circular stepped pedestal. The 19th-century benches and pulpit are also present.

An unusual 17th-century Royal Arms hangs in the north aisle with a painting on the reverse depicting the beheading of Charles I and Latin verses condemning the wickedness of rebellion and regicide. This was made by vicar John Catlyn in 1676.

Fragments of 15th-century glass from the north aisle windows have been incorporated in the chancel window surrounds.