Church Of All Saints

CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

Church. 12th, 13th and 15th centuries; restored 1869–70 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Rubble and ashlar magnesian limestone with lead roofs. Cruciform plan comprising a three-bay nave with aisles and south porch, crossing tower, and three-bay chancel with north and south chapels.

The nave's south aisle has a chamfered plinth and moulded band. The south porch, in bay 1, features responds and carved capitals supporting a chamfered and quadrant-moulded arch beneath a crocketed hood. Carved shields appear beneath a string course with a carved face, and an embattled parapet with crocketed pinnacles crowns the porch. The 13th-century south door within has a chamfered arch with hood. The remaining bays contain buttresses to the right of three-light pointed windows with renewed panel tracery beneath old hoods. A four-light west window flanks buttresses. The nave's west wall is constructed of earlier rubble with a renewed pointed three-light window comprising three cusped lancet lights beneath a hoodmould; an ashlar parapet with cross surmounts it.

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth, moulded band, and offset buttresses. A four-light west window is present. A Tudor-arched north door has a hoodmould with large stops and sits beneath a window of two ogee lights with hoodmould. Other bays contain three- and four-light windows with mouchettes in chamfered, square-headed recesses. Aisle parapets match the porch.

The south transept, of early rubblework, features a 12th-century priests' door on the left beneath a band, with a three-light Decorated window above having a pointed arch and hood. A low gable with apex finial base terminates it. The north transept is similar. The tower has a south-west vice projection and pointed south doorway beneath the weathering of an earlier transept roof. A cusped iron clock face appears on the south side beneath a 12th-century chamfered slit window. The 13th-century upper stage contains two-light lancet windows with dividing shafts and pierced spandrels, all set within round-arched recesses with shafted jambs. An oversailing course with gargoyles sits beneath a parapet with crocketed pinnacles. A short, recessed octagonal spire with lucarnes crowns the tower.

The chancel's south chapel is embattled and of the 15th century, with uncusped three-light windows having pointed arches and hoodmoulds. The east parapet incorporates a re-used cross slab. The chancel's east end, set back, has a 19th-century three-light window of stepped, round-headed lights beneath a continuous hoodmould; a vesica to the gable has indented copings and an apex cross.

The north chapel contains a restored 13th-century east window of three lights with intersecting tracery. A large six-light north window has a king mullion and Tudor-arched lights.

Interior: The aisle arcade piers are octagonal to the south and cylindrical to the north, with matching responds, various moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches. A round arch of two orders rises from the north aisle to the transept, with a 12th-century slit window above. The nave has a 19th-century roof; earlier aisle roofs, that to the south more heavily moulded. At the crossing, altered 12th-century piers to the east have 13th-century shafts set round an octagon. 13th-century arches to north and south are double-chamfered; others are moulded. A cavetto-moulded arch opens from the north transept into the north chapel. The arch from transept to south chapel is double-chamfered. The chancel's north wall retains half a 12th-century window embrasure; the south wall shows half a pointed arch; both sides now have large double-chamfered arches into the chapels. A piscina with half-octagonal pedestal stands in front. A 13th-century sedilia bench with shaped arms is present. The chancel roof is 19th-century; the transepts and chapels probably retain 15th-century roofs with moulded and cambered tie beams.

Furnishings: A Decorated screen in the south chapel has carved mid-rail and heavy cornice moulding. A carved octagonal wooden pulpit of 1634, set on a later base, has a bracketed book ledge, back board, and canopy. An octagonal ashlar font has a wooden cover dated 1662 with scrolled frets set around on balusters. 18th-century aisle pews have scratch-moulding, turned finials, and balustrading at the east end.

Monuments: In the north transept, a marble wall monument to George Cooke (died 1683) bears an inscription on a plaque beneath a decorated aedicule with a bust in an oval panel and open segmental pediment with cartouche. In the south chapel, a cast-iron plaque records the gift of George Radley to the poor of the parish in 1824.