Church Of All Saints

SP39SE 2/35

NUNEATON AND BEDWORTH Chilvers Coton AVENUE ROAD (South side) Church of All Saints

06/12/47

GV II Church. C15 tower. Chancel C13, but considerably rebuilt and restored 1889-1891. Nave and north aisle rebuilt 1946-1947; south aisle added 1957-1958. Designed by H.N.Jepson. Regular coursed and ashlar sandstone. Plain-tile roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, west tower, north organ chamber. Three-bay chancel; nave of three large bays.

Chancel of regular coursed stone has splay plinth. Low diagonal buttresses and buttresses flanking east window of two offsets. Three-light east window is partly C13, but with C20 intersecting tracery. Hood mould. C19 gable parapet has kneelers with carved heads. North and south windows have late C19 cusped Y-tracery; hood moulds and head stops, probably medieval to north. Late C19 two-bay organ chamber has diagonal and east buttresses. Three-light Perpendicular-style north east window. Aisles have six lancets.

Perpendicular tower of three stages. First stage has western clasping buttresses and quatrefoil panelling to base. Deep-set doorway inserted below west window cuts into lower part of it. C20 double-leaf doors. Three-light window has deep hollow-chamfered jambs. Hood mould is continued as a string course. Second stage has diagonal buttresses. Slate clock-face with moulded frame dated 1813. Third stage has hollow-chamfered two-light bell-chamber openings with renewed tracery and louvres. Moulded cornice and embattled parapet. Wrought iron and gilded weathervane. South east corner has small stair projection to lower stages. Tudor arch doorway.

Interior is plastered. Chancel has late C19 arched brace roof with stone corbels. North and south arches of two chamfered orders, the outer segmental pointed. Late C19 Early English style chancel arch of two orders, the inner with shafts. Tower arch of two moulded orders, the inner with half-octagon responds.

George Eliot was baptised in the church. Most of the church was destroyed by bombing in 1941, and rebuilt by German prisoners of war.