Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

This parish church originates from the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries with 17th or 18th century rebuilding. It was restored in the late 19th century and again in 1956. The building is constructed of roughly coursed squared sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roofs.

The church comprises a west tower, a four-bay nave with a north chapel, south aisle and south porch, and a two-bay chancel.

The west tower has four stages with a battered moulded plinth and embattled parapet. The ground and first stages each have one small central lancet window. The third stage features larger lancets in the same position. The top stage is ashlar with a central 2-centred arch containing two trefoil-headed openings on each side of the bell-chamber. The stages and parapets are divided by moulded strings. Eastern openings appear only to the top two stages. A large buttress rises from the north-east corner.

The north elevation displays a 2-centred 2-light restored window with Y-tracery and a 14th century square-headed window with three trefoil-headed and ogeed lights positioned nearer to the tower. Between these is a square-headed doorway containing a 14th century door of three large planks hung on ornate strap hinges. The north window of the north chapel is 14th century, re-set, with three lights under a 2-centred arch; the outer lights have cinquefoiled heads. The east window of the chapel resembles the 3-light window in the north wall of the nave.

The chancel is 19th century with pairs of cinquefoil-headed lancets on both north and south sides. Its east window is re-set and similar to that of the north wall of the north chapel. The south wall contains a priest's doorway with a 2-centred head and fragments of 12th century chevron voussoirs inset at intervals.

The south aisle has a 3-light 13th century east window under a 2-centred head with uncusped lights. The two south windows are similar but contain two lights forming plain Y-tracery. The south porch is late 19th century with collar trusses and a collar purlin. The south doorway is 13th century with a semi-circular head and two roll-moulded orders. A pair of detached shafts with water-leaf capitals and water-holding bases supports the outer order. The abaci carry across as imposts to the outer order, which has a keeled roll moulding. The door is ledged with nail-studs, moulded battens, elaborate strap hinges and a scutcheon plate.

Interior

The chancel has a 19th century hammer-beam roof. The nave roof, probably 17th century with some restoration, comprises five trusses each with two collars. A tie is supported by curved braces rising from corbels and two posts passing from the ties through the lower to upper collar. Beneath each post hangs a pendant suspended from the tie. The interstices of collars and posts contain thin trefoiled tracery, possibly 19th century. The south aisle has three similar trusses. The north chapel has a single-framed roof.

The chancel features a 19th century stained glass east window, restored in 1964, depicting Christ giving benediction in the centre light and St Catherine in a side light. A re-set 14th century piscina has a trefoiled and ogeed head. To the north is a re-set 14th century round bracket. A wall monument for Herbert Aubrey (died 1671) is of painted stone and slate with a broken pediment flanked by putti, volutes to the sides and on the apron.

The chancel arch is 19th century, double-chamfered with a 2-centred head, and supported on deep corbels. The nave contains a south arcade of 2-centred double-chamfered arches with octagonal abaci on cylindrical piers and water-holding bases on square plinths. The tower arch has an unmoulded 2-centred head with plain imposts. Above is a blocked 12th century semi-circular headed window.

A three-light north window contains fragments of 14th century stained glass including two heads, one crowned. Beneath is an internally blocked north door with a plaque to three parishioners who fell between 1939 and 1945. Nearby is a grey, white and brown marble wall monument for Anne Green (died 1783) with a scrolled pediment and urn. The south aisle has a 14th century piscina with chamfered jambs and 2-centred head. In the south wall is a low wide recess under a 2-centred head decorated with roll-moulding with fillet, containing a 13th century coffin-lid with a cross in low relief.

The font, probably 19th century, has a cylindrical stem and bowl with a curved underside. A wall monument to John Matthews MP (died 1826) is in white marble with a slate back and draped urn. The east window contains stained glass for Blanche Edith Gloster-Downing (died 1966) with the inscription "HE IS RISEN". The organ dates from 1936 by Ingram & Co of Hereford. A late 19th century North American harmonium with a mahogany case is also present. A tapered upper part of a coffin lid with a cross in a circular design is probably 13th century.

The north chapel contains a 14th century piscina with ogeed and trefoil heads and a partial circular drain. On the east wall is a double bracket with deep mouldings beneath which sits an aumbry with a ledged door and strap hinges. The east window has stained glass in a similar design to that of the south aisle, for Phyllis Molly Meredith (died 1960), depicting St Anne and St Francis. A re-set mid-14th century altar tomb features a large effigy of Sir Richard Pembrugge in armour with a dog at his feet and angels at his head. A small altar tomb, possibly for his wife Petronilla, has a delicate effigy with gown and belt, the head on a cushion flanked by angels and a bird at the feet, with some remnants of paint. Two brasses commemorate Sir John Barre (died 1483) and his wife, the latter half-turned towards her husband. On the west wall are two wall monuments to Richard Prosser and Francis Parry (both died 1839), each in the form of Tudor arches flanked by pinnacles with cresting along the top. The north window contains two stained glass 14th century dragons in the spandrels.

John Matthews was probably responsible for planting an acorn at Belmont House in 1788. Richard Prosser was presumably an Anglican forbear of F C Wegg-Prosser, who founded Belmont Abbey upon becoming a Catholic convert.