Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

A parish church of mostly late 13th and early 14th century date, restored around 1880. The building is constructed from granite rubble with limestone ashlar dressing throughout. It comprises a west tower and spire, a nave with north aisle and clerestory, and a chancel.

The west tower is built of random granite rubble and rises four stages high. It has clasping buttresses to the first and second stages, which are angled thereafter and capped by carved heads. The Early 14th century west doorway features a moulded arch and worn corbel heads, with a 2-light foiled window above. The bellchamber has two tiers of paired foiled lights. An embattled parapet with corner pinnacles decorated with fleurons crowns the tower, above which rises a recessed spire with lucarnes.

The buttressed south wall of the nave is constructed from small grade uncoursed rubble. A Victorian porch or vestry has been added to this side. The wall contains one Early Decorated window with intersecting tracery and a Perpendicular 3-light window. The 15th century clerestory windows are simple squared openings of 2 lights with straight chamfered mullions. The eastern-most buttress of the nave is dated 1622 and bears the initials IF and WA.

The chancel is entirely a late 19th century rebuild, though it probably re-uses some existing fenestration. It is built of granite rubble with a fishscale tiled roof. The south windows are Early English Y-traceried lights, while the east window is a shallow arched 4-light opening.

The north aisle appears to have been partially rebuilt in granite rubble at its east end, with the remainder constructed of small grade uncoursed rubble. The eastern-most window is a cusped and hollow chamfered lancet of probably 13th century date. Two of the north windows are in Decorated style with many cusped lights; one is likely a renewal, but the other retains grotesque corbel heads and shows a curious discontinuity or projection in the wall fabric beneath it. The north-west window appears to be 13th century, with 2-lights of plate tracery. A small blocked round-arched north doorway is present, and the aisle is lit by one gargoyle, with another positioned in the clerestory above.

Internally, the west tower arch is clasped by the return wall of the west end of the nave, forming a narrow triple-chamfered archway with semi-octagonal responds. The north arcade of three bays dates to the late 13th century and features double-chamfered arches resting on piers of unusual section: each consists of four grouped semi-octagonal shafts. Corbel heads from a contemporary roof rest in the spandrels.

The chancel arch is Victorian, executed in late 13th century style with semi-circular responds and roll-moulded capitals. The nave roof dates to the 15th century and is fitted with tie beams containing traceried panels in the angles with the low-pitched roof. Each tie beam is carved with a boss representing angels, wheat sheaves and other ornaments. The deeply moulded purlins and ridge piece are contemporary with the roof.

The chancel is Victorian with contemporary fittings including a panelled reredos. The north chancel chapel has a late 13th century archway from the aisle, featuring cylindrical shafts and capitals. A 12th century font stands on a modern base.

The church contains late 19th century stained glass in the west window of the north aisle and in the north chancel chapel, where glass dated 1863 incorporates lozenges containing flowers and the symbols of the Evangelists. A pictorial chancel east window dates to around 1880. Some mediaeval benches ascribed to the 14th century were removed during the restoration survey.