Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

A parish church dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with a chancel rebuilt in 1851 by Nicholson and restored in 1859–60 and 1870–74 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The building is constructed of coursed and squared limestone rubble with stone-coped slate and lead roofs and stone fleury crosses to the gables.

The church comprises a western tower, nave, chancel, aisles, a south porch, and a north chapel. The tower dates to the early 13th century and rises in two stages, built of coursed limestone rubble with a 19th-century moulded plinth, a plain chamfered string course, and a plain parapet with later gargoyles. The west window is a 13th-century double chamfered lancet. The belfry stage contains 14th-century paired ogee-headed lights facing in four principal directions.

The north aisle is of squared limestone rubble with a lead roof and a moulded sill band. Its west wall contains a reset panel of 14th-century cusped tracery within a squared surround. The aisle is lit by a recut three-light window with intersecting tracery and a 19th-century three-light window in Perpendicular style. The eastern two bays are separated from the rest by a gabled buttress and have a separate slate roof with raised coped gables. These bays contain two paired-light recut ogee-headed windows in the north wall and a three-light window with intersecting tracery and 19th-century details in the east wall.

The north chapel contains a 14th-century tomb recess with moulded triangular canopy featuring Southwell-type leafy capitals, now 19th-century work.

The chancel north wall has a two-light 14th-century window with cusped ogee heads and panels above. The east window is a 19th-century three-light window with reticulated tracery. The chancel south wall contains a doorway and two two-light windows, all 19th-century work.

The south aisle dates from the 15th century and features a plinth, moulded cill band, and lead roof. It is lit by three three-light windows with cambered hood moulds with hood human head label stops, cusped ogee heads to the lights, and cusped panels above. At either end are shield-shaped plaques bearing coats of arms. The west wall contains a 14th-century two-light window.

The 15th-century south porch has moulded and stepped corner buttresses and a castellated parapet. Above the outer door is a trefoil-headed niche with a 19th-century cross to the gable. The outer arch is richly moulded with one concave order and a hood mould. The side walls contain trefoil-headed niches with 19th-century crosses. The porch has side benches. The inner doorway is largely recut but retains one order of wave moulding separated by a quirk from the outer concave order containing fleurons. The hood, similarly decorated, has human head label stops and a crocketed ogee finial.

Interior

The late 13th-century three-bay arcades feature double chamfered arches with octagonal piers and moulded capitals. The voussoirs retain extensive traces of red painted foliage. The squat 13th-century tower arch has three chamfered orders. The chancel arch, comprising two chamfered orders, springs from engaged octagonal responds.

At the east end of the north aisle is a double chamfered pointed arch resting on moulded imposts, one of which is carved as a human head. Traces of lower capitals survive on both the south and north sides of the chancel arch, the northern one presumably opening into the chapel.

The 19th-century chancel has three polished limestone steps to the altar, fine tiled floors, and a handsome marble and mosaic reredos. The arch-braced roof rests on stone corbels and bears a scheme of painted decoration featuring flowers and dog tooth ornament. The side walls display oil-painted panels of angel musicians.

The north wall of the chancel contains a 19th-century double chamfered arch with angle shafts and angel labels, opening to the north chapel. The south wall has an ogee-headed piscina, balanced by a similar opening to the north, parts of which may be reused.

The 13th-century octagonal font stands on a facetted stem with a square base. A fine oak 19th-century carved chancel screen divides the space, with a low lattice screen between the chancel and north chapel. The chancel contains a brass candelabrum in medieval style with pierced foliate decoration. Furnishings include 19th-century pews, stalls, and a pulpit.

On the north aisle wall are two early 19th-century Neo-Classical wall tablets in white marble with antefixae and urns, commemorating members of the Caldecot family of Holton Hall. All windows contain 19th-century stained glass. Painted tin texts appear on the nave east wall.