Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints, Holbeach

A parish church of major importance, built largely between around 1340 and 1380, with significant additions in around 1400 and the early 15th century, further work in the early 18th century, and restoration in 1867. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar with some limestone rubble, and is roofed in lead with stone coped east gable surmounted by a cross finial.

The plan comprises a west tower with spire, a nave with north and south aisles and north and south porches, and a chancel. The two-stage west tower dates from around 1340 but was remodelled in the early 15th century. It has a moulded plinth and multi-stage buttresses, with a stair turret in the south-west buttress featuring a pointed doorway with plank door and six slit lights. The shallow gabled west porch has pointed inner and outer doorways with slender flanking shafts, a cusped panelled vault, and a hood mould with head label stops and plank door. Above this is a pointed 15th-century window with five pointed lights, unusual panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The tower's bell openings on all four sides are pointed with richly moulded heads, two ogee-headed lights, cusped tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The tower is crowned with a recessed broached octagonal spire with four tiers of ornate lucarnes on alternating sides and a finial. Moulded eaves with projecting gargoyles and battlements run round the tower.

The north aisle dates from around 1340 and has a moulded plinth with regularly placed two-stage buttresses. Its pointed west window contains three ogee-headed lights with flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops, with a 14th-century inscribed tomb slab below. The north side has a single window to the right of the porch and three windows to the left, all with pointed heads, three ogee-headed cusped lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. A similar window appears at the east end of the aisle. The north porch dates from around 1700 and reuses 14th-century fragments, possibly from Moulton Castle. It features a flattened triangular-headed doorway with bold cusping, triple responds and hood mould, flanked by two round battlemented turrets, each with small single ogee-headed cusped lights. Single 18th-century semi-circular-headed windows appear over the doorway and on the west side. The porch interior has flanking stone benches. A north-east corner doorway has an ogee head, chamfered surround and traceried plank door. Above is a roll-moulded doorway that originally gave access to a parvise, whose floor is now gone, leaving only the corbels. An inner 14th-century porch doorway has a richly moulded pointed head, slender jambs with crenellated capitals, hood mould, head label stops and plank door, with a blocked triangular opening above. Moulded eaves with grotesque heads and battlements run along the north aisle.

A clerestory of around 1380 extends along the nave with fourteen pointed windows, each with two ogee-headed lights and hood mould, with moulded eaves and battlements above.

The north side of the chancel has four-stage buttresses with ornate gablets. A large pointed window to the west has three pointed cusped lights with flowing tracery and hood mould. A smaller pointed window to the east has two pointed lights flanking a single ogee-headed light, with flowing tracery and hood mould. The east end has a large pointed window with three pointed cusped lights, flowing tracery and hood mould.

The south side of the chancel has a pointed window to the east with two pointed cusped lights flanking a single ogee-headed light, flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. A pedimented monument to John March (died 1736) stands to the left, with ornate eared architrave and urn. A doorway to the left has a pointed head, continuously moulded surrounds, hood mould, head label stops and plank door. A window similar to the other south chancel window appears to the left.

The south aisle of the nave dates from around 1340. Its pointed east window has single pointed lights flanking an ogee-headed light, with flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The south side has regularly placed two-stage buttresses with ornate gablets that alternate with five pointed windows, each with three ogee-headed lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. A gabled 14th-century porch to the left has a very tall south doorway rising up into the gable, with pointed moulded head, triple filleted jambs, hood mould and head label stops. A tall gabled bellcote with pointed bell opening crowns the porch. The porch interior has flanking stone benches and a south doorway with pointed moulded head, slender responds, hood mould and head label stops, with a 14th-century door featuring reticulated tracery. A niche above the doorway has a damaged head and inner rib vaulting. A pointed window to the west of the porch and in the west end of the south aisle both have three ogee-headed lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The clerestory on the south side is identical to that on the north.

Interior

The tower arch dates from around 1330 and has a pointed head of three filleted orders and continuously roll and hollow moulded responds. The tower above features a tierceron-star vault with central oculus. The north and south arcades are seven bays wide and date from around 1350, with pointed heads of two moulded orders with broad fillets, quatrefoil piers and triple responds with continuous roll and hollow mouldings with broad fillets and polygonal capitals. The north aisle contains a shallow pointed chamfered tomb niche with plain triangular stops. A moulded sill band runs round the nave aisles.

The chancel arch dates from around 1360 and has a pointed head with continuously moulded surround and hood mould. To its south is a small doorway originally leading to the rood loft, with panelled door. The chancel has a blocked south doorway with four-centred head and continuously moulded surround. Ornate 19th-century sedilia and piscina are executed in 14th-century style, as is the ornate 19th-century reredos. The 19th-century communion rail, choir stalls, lecterns, pews and pulpit are all later insertions; the nave roof is supported on 14th-century stone corbel heads.

Fittings and Monuments

A mid-14th-century octagonal font has a tall traceried pedestal, with each side of the bowl carved with crude figures holding emblems of the Passion. A table tomb to Sir Humphrey Littlebury of Holbeach Hurn (died around 1380) displays him clad in full armour with his head resting on his mailed helm containing a sleeping head, a lion at his feet, and his sword and shield with lions rampant. The tomb itself is decorated with ornate ogee-headed cusped openings with shields in spandrels, and upper bands of foliate motifs and grotesque heads. An early 15th-century brass depicts a knight without a head. A brass to Joan Welby (died 1488) is mounted on a tomb chest.

Monuments include: a white and grey marble monument with urn, festoons and pediment to Jonathan Watson (died 1773); grey marble with coat of arms in cartouche to Adlard Squire Stukely (died 1768); cream marble to Sarah Stukely (died 1730); stone cartouche of illegible name (died 1761); marble by Henson of Spalding with moulded architrave and pile of books on entablature to Philip Ashley (died 1794); stone with broken pediment with urn and ornate apron to Sigismund Richardson (died 1747); black and white marble with pediment, fluted Doric pilasters, apron with cherubs and cartouche to Samuel Richardson (died 1736); two ornate early 18th-century marble monuments with Ionic pilasters, broken segmental pediment, cartouche, crests and cherubs (names and dates illegible); white marble cartouches to Jane Davey (died 1755); white and orange-grey streaked marble to Elizabeth Watson (died 1768); white marble with fluted Corinthian pilasters, cherubs and apron with cartouche to James Breckenock (died 1740). Several early 19th-century monuments of various designs are also present. Two illegible 17th-century gravestones and several 18th- and 19th-century gravestones survive.