Church of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Parish church of medieval foundation, with significant rebuilding in the 18th century, located in the parish of Weston Underwood, Mugginton.

The building is constructed of coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, and features lead roofs with moulded coped parapets, except for the porch roof which is plain tile with coped gables. The plan comprises a west tower, nave with south aisle and porch, and chancel.

The west tower is of three stages, divided by a chamfered and a plain string course. The upper string course to the north and part of the west side is arched as a corbel table. The south wall of the tower was rebuilt in ashlar in the 18th century and contains a round-arched doorway with stone lintel and glazed overlight. The west elevation has a massive central buttress with nine set-offs. The lower bell stage to the north retains 12th-century paired bell openings with Gothic arches and polygonal shaft, embraced by a plain round arch on nook shafts, one of which is missing. A 12th-century roof line is visible to the east. The upper bell stage is of ashlar with battlements and has two-light bell openings in each direction under flat heads with cusped arched lights, renewed to the south and west without cusping. Four gargoyles sit above.

The nave and chancel have moulded string courses. The north side contains, from the west, a blocked Perpendicular doorway with moulded surround and hoodmould, two three-light four-centred arched windows deeply set with concave surrounds and cusped lights with hoodmoulds, and to the left a three-light window with plain arched lights under a square head. A coat of arms is positioned above, breaking the parapet line. The chancel east wall has diagonal buttresses, a three-light Perpendicular east window similar to those on the north side, a carved stone displaying the Staffordshire Knot above the window, and a carved stone to the right with the crest of the Sanders family. The south side of the chancel has one similar Perpendicular three-light window without cusping.

The south aisle has five buttresses and extends into the chancel, partly overlapping the south window. A gabled south porch contains a plain chamfered opening with moulded imposts and hoodmould on head stops, and a re-used inverted two-light window to the east. The south aisle has three three-light windows like those on the north side, a late 13th-century priest's door (re-set) with roll moulding and outer filletted roll moulding and moulded capitals with a plank door, and a Perpendicular four-light east window with transom and two tiers of pointed cusped lights. The south aisle west wall was rebuilt in ashlar in the 18th century with a plain round-arched window. An early 14th-century south doorway of two chamfered orders with arch containing roll and hollow moulding has a panelled door.

Interior features include a round-arched 12th-century tower arch with keeled responds and double stepped arch. Above it is a round-arched window with deep splay, probably the west window of the 11th-century church. The south arcade consists of four plus two bays with octagonal piers and double chamfered arches, except for the fourth pier which has a section of wall between responds. The chancel arcade has carved capitals with heads and foliage motifs. In the south-east corner of the chancel is a low four-centred arched entrance opening down into a void, possibly a crypt. On the north side is a string course rising over a large aumbry recess. A truncated respond of a double chamfered chancel arch is visible on the north side, not relating to the south arcade. The nave contains a panelled dado made from 18th-century box pews. Additional box pews have been used for the ceiling under the tower and further 18th-century box pews occupy the south aisle. A 15th-century parclose screen and 17th-century pews are also in the south aisle.

Monuments include a table tomb with brasses to Joanna Knifeton dated 1475, a wall tablet to Samuel Webster died 1759 in slate with moulded stone surround, a wall tablet to Samuel Pole died 1758, and on the north wall a tablet to a person who died in 1687. A 15th-century octagonal font with quatrefoil motifs was completely recut in the 19th century. Traces of wall painting survive in the south-west corner of the nave and on the underside of an arch in the chancel.

Stained glass includes 15th-century shields in the east window of the south aisle and fragments of medieval glass in the chancel south window.

The church contains good 15th-century roofs throughout with chamfered tie beams and purlins and foliate bosses. At the west end of the south aisle is a 17th-century bookcase and a board inscribed to Hugh Radcliffe. In the sanctuary are two 19th-century wrought iron and brass standard lamps, and 19th-century brass communion rails.