Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a parish church with origins around 1180, significantly developed around 1200, with major additions in the mid-14th century and late 15th century, alterations in 1777, and restoration in 1867. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar with some red brick, and has lead and slate roofs with stone coped gables and an eastern cross finial. The church comprises a west tower with spire, nave with north and south aisles, south porch and clerestory, and chancel with north organ chamber.

Tower and Spire

The four-stage mid-14th century tower was partially remodelled in the late 15th century. It has a moulded plinth and six-stage angle buttresses, with the second stages containing niches that have crocketed and finialled gables supported on head label stops, inner cusped nodding ogee arches, and slender columnar pedestals. A two-storey stair turret projects at the north-east with two slit lights.

The pointed west doorway has a continuous deeply moulded surround, hood mould and double plank doors. Above is a castellated string course. The late 15th-century pointed window above features a bowtell moulded surround, four lights with foliate transom, lower semi-circular headed lights, upper ogee cusped lights, panel tracery, hood mould and lion head label stops. The north and south sides each have a 15th-century triangular headed window with bowtell moulded surround, two cusped ogee headed lights, panel tracery and hood mould with grotesque head label stops.

Above the west window, a clock breaks into an ornate 14th-century blind arcade with inner cusped, ogee nodding arches and outer curved crocketed and finialled gables which are carried across the buttresses on each side and supported on grotesque heads and slender columns. The north and south sides have single triangular headed windows, each with two cusped ogee headed lights, transom, hood mould and head label stops. The east side shows the outline of the 15th-century nave roof.

The bell stage has openings on all four sides, each with a pointed head, two ogee headed lights with castellated transom and lower semi-circular headed lights, hood mould and head label stops. Above is a cusped diamond frieze and moulded eaves with small sculptural motifs and projecting gargoyles. The battlements have ornate corner pinnacles. Slender crocketed flyers reach up to the crocketed 14th-century octagonal spire, which has three tiers of ornate lucarnes on alternating sides (related in design to the blind arcade on the west front) and a weathervane.

North Aisle

The 12th-century north aisle was heavily restored and extended to the east in the 19th century. The west end retains a fragmentary 12th-century roll moulded plinth. The 15th-century west window has a flattened triangular head, three cusped lights, incipient panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The north side has regularly placed two-stage buttresses and a sill band.

The doorway of around 1180 has a pointed head, continuous roll moulded inner order, and chamfered outer order supported on single slender shafts with volute and foliate capitals, hood mould, head label stops and double plank door. To the right are two windows, and to the left are three windows, all with pointed heads, three 19th-century cusped ogee headed lights, flowing tracery and hood mould. Beyond to the left is a 19th-century doorway giving access to the organ chamber, with pointed head, roll moulded surround, hood mould with head label stops, and plank door. The 19th-century east window has a pointed head, two cusped ogee headed lights, flowing tracery and hood mould.

Clerestory

The clerestory of around 1180 was remodelled in the late 15th century. Six 15th-century windows are inserted into a 12th-century blind arcade; the former have flattened triangular heads, moulded surrounds and two semi-circular headed cusped lights; the latter comprise groups of two or three blind, pointed openings with roll moulded heads, capitals, large abaci but now without the supporting shafts.

Chancel

The mid-14th century chancel was raised in 15th-century red brick and now has moulded eaves and battlements. The north side has a pointed mid-15th century window with three pointed cusped lights, panel tracery and hood mould. A fragmentary string course lies to the left, with a blocked pointed doorway below and two rows of corbels beyond. The east end is flanked by three-stage diagonal buttresses. A large pointed 19th-century window has five pointed cusped lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Above are 19th-century battlements, pinnacles and cross finial.

The south side of the chancel has regularly placed, slender, three-stage buttresses and moulded plinth. A 14th-century priest's doorway to the left has a continuous moulded surround, flattened triangular head, hood mould, head label stops and plank door. To the right above are two 19th-century windows with pointed heads, three cusped pointed lights, panel tracery and hood mould. Above to the left is a single identical 15th-century window.

A 14th-century polygonal stair turret, originally giving access to the rood loft, is inserted into the re-entrant angle between the chancel and south aisle. It has ornate quatrefoil and string course, slit light, moulded eaves and battlements.

South Aisle

The south aisle was refronted in the 19th century. The mid-14th century east window has a pointed head, two cusped ogee heads, quatrefoil, hood mould and head label stops. A fragmentary string course lies to the left. Two pointed 19th-century south windows each have three cusped pointed lights and three cusped oculi and hood mould.

To the left is a 19th-century gabled porch with pointed doorway having a deeply moulded head, paired columns with ornate capitals, hood mould and foliate label stops. The porch contains a boiler, but the inner doorway of around 1200 is partially visible, with steeply pointed head, roll moulded surround, imposts and hood mould.

West of the porch are two 19th-century windows, each with four-centred head, three cusped lights, incipient panel tracery and 14th-century hood moulds. A similar mid-14th century window is in the west end of the south aisle. The clerestory of around 1180 was somewhat remodelled in the 15th century, with blind arcade having semi-circular, roll moulded heads supported on clustered shafts with foliate capitals, and seven 15th-century windows inserted, each beneath a moulded basket arch.

Interior

The mid-14th century interior tower arch is very tall with continuous triple filleted responds, castellated capitals, hood mould and label stops. The tower interior has corbel busts supporting a rib vault with liernes, some tiercerons, central oculus and ornate bosses. A triangular headed north doorway has continuously moulded surround, hood mould, head label stops and plank door.

The six-bay north and south 12th-century arcades have their westernmost bay forming the original 12th-century tower. The original tower arch has broad rectangular sections of the original outer walls, triple rolls (the inner rolls being much taller), all with incipient stiff leaf capitals. The south pier has a blocked pointed opening in the east rectangular section. The next pair of piers to the east each have four rolls, with plain moulded north capital and crocket south capital. Beyond is a pair of round piers, the north with incipient stiff leaf capital, the south with crocket capital incorporating grotesque heads. The next pair of piers to the east both have four large rolls alternating with four slender rolls, both with crocket capitals. The eastern responds have three large rolls alternating with slender keeled shafts, both with incipient stiff leaf capitals. 14th-century castellated pedestals for statues are attached to four of the piers.

A mid-14th century doorway to the rear of the south respond on the north side, originally giving access to the rood loft, has a flattened triangular head, continuously moulded surround, ogee hood mould with partially intact crockets, large bust label stop to right and similar bust to left broken through by the late 14th-century rood screen, and bust in apex wearing pillbox cap. In a similar position on the north respond is a rectangular 15th-century aumbry with fragmentary inner corner shelf. A piscina of similar design is in the south aisle wall, with chamfered surround, grotesque head shelf and shallow bowl beneath.

The pointed chancel arch, possibly of 1777, has curved soffit containing large foliate motifs. The late 14th-century rood screen was heavily restored in the 19th century, with five panels divided by slender openwork buttresses, central cusped ogee head with busts and foliate motifs on cusps, and pair of hinged panelled doors below. The flanking panels have blind tracery below with lion heads, birds eating corn, birds and griffons in spandrels. Above are 19th-century ribbed coving and ornate parapet.

The north-west chancel 15th-century window is blocked in the 19th century, with organ pipes inserted in the lights, panel tracery and 19th-century four-centred arch below. A fragmentary mid-14th century Easter Sepulchre on the north wall has slight ogee head and suggestions of sleeping figure below. A blocked doorway to the left has flattened triangular head, continuous moulded surround, hood mould and head label stops.

The sedilia of around 1200 on the south wall have shafts and semi-circular responds with moulded capitals supporting moulded ovolo heads. There is a 19th-century stone reredos with mosaic detailing, and communion rail of 1895. The 19th-century furnishings include lectern, pews and pulpit.

A late 17th-century pulpit, now dismantled in the north aisle, has six panels with round arches, fretwork bands, flowerheads and castellated top. The 15th-century tie beam nave roof and panelled aisle roofs rest on stone corbels. The chancel roof is 19th century.

Fonts

There is a 19th-century rectangular font. A fragmentary font of around 1200 is upended in the nave. The font of 1719 by William Tudd, on the Gibbons pattern, features large figures of Adam and Eve supporting the tree-shaped pedestal, the latter entwined by serpent. The bulgy bowl has three oval scenes depicting the baptism of Christ, the parting of the Red Sea, and Noah's Ark, with leaves and apples around the remainder of the bowl.

Monuments and Gravestones

Monuments include one of white marble on black with urn, to Elizabeth Moore, died 1837; two in grey and white marble with winged cherub heads, to Helen Jenkins, died 1818, and the Reverend Samuel Elsdale, died 1827; two grey marble monuments to Alice Stixwold, died 1784, and William Corby, died 1793.

Gravestones include one to John Harox, died 1560; one to the Reverend John Chapman, died 1751; one to Edward Hunnings, died 1733; one to John Cookson, died 1681; a small brass dated 1662 and a 17th-century marble in the nave temporarily covered; one to John Cockle, died 1780 and one to John Cock, died 1708; one to William Corby, died 1768, another to Mary Holsin, died 1772; one to John Molson, died 1770; to Thomas Molson, died 1772; and John Molson, died 1767. One to John Burton, died 1768; one to Edward Hunnings, died 1787, and several 19th-century gravestones.