Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

This is a substantial parish church with medieval origins significantly extended and remodelled in the 19th century. The building comprises a 12th-century nave, early 13th-century nave arcades, a 15th-century tower and spire, and 19th-century alterations. The nave was lengthened by 2 bays, the aisles widened, and the chancel rebuilt between 1868 and 1870 by R G Smith of Hull, with all works reusing old materials. The church is constructed in ashlar with lead roofs.

The west tower is a 3-stage structure embraced by 15th-century westward extensions to the nave aisles. It features set-back buttresses, a 3-light pointed west window with Perpendicular tracery under a hoodmould, moulded bands, pointed 3-light belfry openings with Perpendicular tracery and transoms, and a crenellated parapet with crocketed corner finials. A tall spire with lucarnes rises above.

The main body comprises a 5-bay aisled nave with north and south porches, and a 2-bay chancel with 2-bay north and south chapels and a 19th-century north organ chamber. The south aisle has a moulded plinth, buttresses with offsets, and five 3-light pointed windows with Perpendicular tracery under a crenellated parapet. The original width of the 15th-century westward extension is visible at the west end before Smith's remodelling. The pointed south door has 4 moulded orders: 3 keeled rolls and an outer filleted roll, all on circular abaci and nook-shafts. A 19th-century south porch sits in Early English style.

The north aisle is essentially similar, featuring four 3-light windows with curvilinear tracery of good style under hoodmoulds with grotesque stops, and a single smaller pointed 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery. A pointed double-chamfered north door with chamfered imposts provides entrance. A clerestory of 4-centred arched windows of 3 lights with Perpendicular tracery lights the interior.

The chancel's south chapel has a chamfered plinth, buttresses with offsets, and a diagonal buttress. The west and centre bays have square-headed windows of 4 trefoil-headed lights, while the east bay rises 2 storeys (reflecting an earlier, probably 16th-century internal arrangement) with a square-headed mullion window of 2 lights to the ground floor and a square-headed window of 3 segmental-headed lights to the first floor. A crenellated parapet with crocketed finials runs above. The north side displays 19th-century square-headed windows of 3 lights. A 5-light pointed east window with fine Perpendicular tracery under a hoodmould with bishop and monarch stops dominates the east end, crowned by a crenellated gable and cross finial. The north chapel contains a pointed 2-light east window with Perpendicular tracery. The south chapel has a 4-centred east window of 3 lights to the ground floor and a square-headed window of 2 lights with label-mould to the first floor.

Internally, a tall pointed tower arch with continuous double chamfers marks the entrance to the nave, with similar lower arches to north and south aisles. The south arcade's 3 west bays are early 13th century, featuring pointed arches with paired rolls and a central quirk to the soffit on circular abaci and cylindrical piers on waterholding bases. The north arcade's 3 west bays are mid-13th century, with pointed double-chamfered arches on similar abaci, cylindrical piers, and waterholding bases. All four capitals retain original painted decoration of foliage scrolls and geometric designs, though faded. Hoodmoulds run across both arcades. The 2 east bays to north and south arcades were constructed by R G Smith with pointed double-chamfered arches on moulded polygonal abaci, polygonal piers and bases. A pointed double-chamfered chancel arch with attached shaft to responds was raised in 1892.

The late 13th-century north chapel features 2 pointed double-chamfered arches on a quatrefoil pier with filleted attached shafts to responds. The late 15th-century south chapel contains 2 pointed double-hollow-chamfered arches on an octagonal pier. Set into the north wall of the south chapel is a small collection of Romanesque moulded and carved stones, including a sagittarius figure. At the west end of the present nave, between the clearly inserted tower arch and arcade responds, is visible a small area of 12th-century ashlar.

The north wall of the north chancel chapel bears a brass to the memory of Dame Ann Percy, wife to Sir Henry Percy, who died in 1511. The second window from the west in the north aisle was designed by Morris and Company and depicts Saint Anne, Saint Luke, and Saint Agnes.