Church Of All Saints

Parish church. The building dates from the mid-12th century onwards, with the arcade of that period; an early 13th-century east bay; a 13th-century tower and chancel; an early 14th-century south aisle; a 15th-century porch, upper stage and parapet to the tower; and mid- to late 15th-century chancel and chapel parclose screens. The nave and chancel roofs were altered in 1780 following the demolition of the north aisle. Major restorations took place in 1912–13 by Sir Charles Nicholson, which included partially rebuilding the south aisle, constructing new east and north nave windows, repairing the roofs, re-seating the interior, and creating a new porch entrance. General restorations were undertaken around 1960. The tower is constructed of coursed limestone and ironstone rubble with galleted joints, with an ironstone ashlar top stage and parapet. The chancel is built of coursed limestone rubble, whilst the remainder of the building uses coursed limestone and ironstone rubble with squared blocks to the later sections. Limestone and ironstone dressings run throughout, with brick surrounds to the nave north windows. The roofs are lead. The plan comprises a west tower, a 4-bay nave with south aisle, a south porch, and a 3-bay chancel.

The 4-stage tower features quoins and a wide chamfered plinth with moulded string courses between stages. The first stage contains a west needle lancet with hood-mould. The second stage is stepped in and has a west lancet with a weathered perforated wooden window. The short third stage has much-weathered twin lancet belfry openings with monolithic heads and chamfered central shafts supporting through-imposts (outer shafts are missing from the north and west sides). A much-weathered corbel table runs below this stage. The fourth stage is very short. A coped embattled parapet with stumps of angle pinnacles caps the tower. The nave is defined by a chamfered plinth and has round-headed 3-light windows with Gothic Revival tracery to the north side. The south aisle features quoins, a restored chamfered plinth and buttresses to the centre and angles. It contains two square-headed 3-light trefoiled windows with restored mullions and hood-moulds, a similar restored 2-light west window, and a pointed 3-light east window with intersecting tracery, hood-mould and fine headstops. The chancel has a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses and single buttresses to the east bay. The south side features a blocked pointed door with chamfered jambs and hollow chamfered arch with hood-mould, two lancets with hood-moulds and a single headstop, a sill string course cut by a trefoiled lancet with hood-mould and carved stops, and two lancets with hood-moulds and headstops to the north with a string course above. A partly-restored 4-centred arch 3-light east window with nook corbels, Perpendicular tracery, hood-mould and headstops completes this elevation. An open gabled porch has a recessed timber entrance with gate flanked by sidelights beneath a cranked tie beam with king post and side struts. Square ashlar panels to the porch sides feature cross-shaped arrow slits, probably reset. A moulded tie beam and stone benches are inside. The pointed inner arch is of two orders with hollow chamfered and roll mouldings.

Interior: A 4-bay south arcade comprises three 12th-century west bays of plain round arches on cylindrical piers with plain moulded bases on tall square chamfered plinths and fluted, scalloped and simple stiff-leaf capitals. The fourth bay to the east, opening to a chapel traditionally known as Newstead Chapel, has a wide double-chamfered arch with chamfered jambs to the west and an inner order to the east on a moulded carved head corbel. The east pier contains an inserted 14th-century niche with a base supported by a rustic carved figure with upraised arms and a crocketed trefoiled ogee arch flanked by carved heads supporting buttress shafts with crocketed finials. A chamfered ogee-arched piscina is present in the south chapel, alongside a square-headed recess with chamfered sill beside the entrance. A tall pointed double-chamfered tower arch with hood-mould, chamfered jambs and plain moulded imposts with crudely-carved heads divides the nave from the tower. A deeply-splayed lancet to the tower is also present. A pointed double-chamfered chancel arch with moulded imposts, chamfered jambs and an inner order on moulded corbels with a carved grotesque to the north and a fine Green Man to the south separates the nave from the chancel. Within the chancel, a sill string course runs above deeply-splayed lancets with chamfered surrounds, whilst a trefoiled piscina with nailhead and hollow mouldings and a projecting bowl sits to the south. A carved head corbel appears on the east wall, and a restored aumbry is present.

Square-framed oak screens enclose the chancel and south chapel. The 5-bay chancel screen has a wide entrance flanked by narrower bays containing pointed lights with remnants of Perpendicular tracery and ornate carved spandrels to the east face. A blind 2-light traceried lower stage with restored panels runs beneath, with moulded stiles, top and mid rails. The chapel west screen comprises 5 full bays with a door to the second bay; each bay contains 3-light openings with intersecting tracery and crocketed foiled ogee heads to the lights with tracery above and pierced and carved spandrels. Plain panels occupy the lower section, with moulded stiles, top and mid rails. An ornate blind traceried door features two Perpendicular traceried panels below and two panels above with two tiers of pointed arches with intersecting tracery. The chapel north screen has 6½ bays with a door to the second bay; each bay contains 2 lights with ornate traceried and crocketed ogee heads and pierced Perpendicular tracery above. A moulded mid rail bears remains of fretwork Gothic inscription, with blind flowing traceried panels below and a blind quatrefoil frieze above the bottom rail. Moulded stiles carry octagonal corbels for figurines, and the traceried panels contain representations of lead weights. The door has two lower panels containing two tiers of pointed arches with intersecting tracery, a moulded mid rail and pierced traceried 4-light upper panels. A Romanesque drum font with scallop moulding above blind arcading of intersecting round arches on piers with foliate capitals stands on a cylindrical pedestal. A moveable font with an octagonal ashlar bowl sits on a 19th-century wooden stand. A 16th-century wooden pedestal Poor Box in the south chapel stands on a tapered square column with plain moulded capital and iron fixing loops to the side of the rectangular box. The south chapel contains a 13th-century ashlar grave slab with a cross in relief and an inscribed floor slab of 1699 to Robert and Elizabeth Pye of Cadney. Traces of wall paintings survive in the nave: an inscription on the east wall is dated from the names of churchwardens to 1724; on the south jamb of the tower arch, part of a 16th-century psalm inscription with a figure remains. Fragments of moulded stone, including medieval graveslabs, are preserved inside the tower.

The fine screens may have come from the Gilbertine Priory of Newstead-on-Ancholme, located a mile to the north-west. The tower was in disrepair at the time of resurvey.