Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

This is a substantial parish church largely rebuilt in the 14th century, with significant additions and alterations in the late 15th century, then restored in 1821 and 1890. It is built of regular coursed grey sandstone with lead roofs to the aisles, artificial slate to the nave, and plain tiles to the chancel and porch.

The church follows the Perpendicular style and comprises an aisled nave of three bays, a two-bay chancel, a north chapel, a north-west tower, and a south porch. The exterior is characterised throughout by coped gable parapets (except on the porch), buttresses mostly of two offsets, and hood moulds. The chancel has a splay plinth and south-east diagonal buttress, with a large renewed five-light east window with moulded stops. The gable retains remains of a small carved head and displays weatherings and a cross finial.

The south porch is a single-storey structure with an attic. It has a moulded and chamfered doorway with renewed jambs and a double-chamfered square opening above. Inside is a moulded segmental pointed doorway with an ancient door bearing blind tracery panels and some carving. East and west windows of two ogee lights are straight-headed.

The aisles have splay and hollow-chamfered plinths with slender buttresses of three offsets rising into trefoiled gableted pinnacles. The aisle windows include three-light east windows, basket-arched three-light south-east windows, and two-light south-west windows with head stops. The nave has a south-west diagonal buttress and a three-bay south and two-bay north clerestory with windows similar to those of the porch. A large three-light west window has renewed curvilinear tracery. A 19th-century square stack with octagonal shaft stands in the north-east corner.

The north aisle and chapel form one continuous space. The north side has four buttresses, with the eastern bay having no window. Three three-light windows light the remaining bays. The short north-west tower has a hollow-chamfered plinth and diagonal buttress of three offsets. A west doorway of two chamfered orders (with a 19th-century plank door and decorative ironwork) is topped by a splayed course and a two-light window above, both with hood moulds with return stops. Bell openings of paired trefoiled lancets face each cardinal direction, recessed under straight heads to the north, east, and south. A moulded cornice and parapet complete the tower.

The interior features arches and arcades throughout of two chamfered orders with octagonal piers or half-octagonal responds and moulded capitals, with a continuous outer order. The chancel preserves remains of a 15th-century Easter sepulchre discovered in the north wall in 1848, comprising a damaged moulded Perpendicular arch and base with blind arcading. The recess retains remains of three carved figures, including a central angel, with traces of stencilled decoration. The chancel has a 19th-century boarded barrel roof. The chancel arch's lower half of the north respond is missing; the upper part contains a trefoiled lancet recess.

The nave has a renewed Perpendicular roof retaining old moulded east and west tie-beams. The north and south arcades comprise two and three bays respectively. The south arcade has heads between each arch; the western pier bears a band of rosettes and fleurons. The north chapel, now used as a vestry, has moulded half-octagonal corbel brackets in the eastern angles with remains of a canopy to the north. The chapel and aisle share a lean-to roof with some old timbers.

A stone inscription in the south-west wall of the tower records: "CRISTOFER WATKIN PHILIP HARTLEY CHURCH WARDENS AND DOM 1632". The south aisle contains a trefoiled ogee piscina and has a renewed lean-to roof.

The church retains a notable collection of furnishings and fittings. The font, possibly of the late 12th century, has a round basin, moulded foot, and square base. Late 17th-century altar rails feature 19th-century turned balusters. An 18th-century half-hexagonal wood pulpit has fielded panels with shaped tops. An 18th-century chest remains in the church. The interior includes 19th-century encaustic tiles, pews, and stalls. A chapel screen is composed of panels possibly derived from box pews.

Stained glass includes 15th-century fragments in the south aisle east window. Monuments include that of Sir Christopher Wright, dated 1602, in the north chapel—a chest tomb with two inscription panels with festoons and incised slab, and an armorial back panel. Thomas Arnold's monument, dated 1781, appears on the chancel south wall as an oval plaque with an architectural surround.