Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Parish church built between approximately 1873 and 1882, designed by H. Stone. The building is constructed mainly of random stone with dressed stone courses to the west tower. Stone dressings are used throughout for windows, doors, quoins, buttresses and parapet verges. The roofs are covered in red plain tiles with fishscale striations to the nave. Stone cross finials crown the apices of both nave and chancel.

The church comprises a chancel, nave, lean-to south-east vestry, south aisle, and a west tower. A twentieth-century lean-to vestry has been added to the south face of the tower.

The chancel has angle buttresses. Its east window contains five lights with three cusped roundels over, beneath a moulded two-centre arched head with a label featuring head stops. A band beneath follows through the returns. The north wall contains one single and one two-light trefoiled window with trefoil and cinquefoil over respectively, both under moulded two-centre arched heads with labels featuring head and foliate stops. Between these windows is a chamfered two-centre arched doorway with a vertically boarded door, a buttress, and stone ventilators to the moulded plinth.

The south-east vestry has an east window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil over and a two-centre arched head with label bearing head stops. An angle buttress and similar doorway with a stopped label are present, along with a lancet window to the west.

The south aisle features six buttresses with pairs of lancet windows between each. A west doorway similar to the vestry doorway but with double doors bearing ornate iron hinges is set within a moulded plinth with stone ventilators. The twentieth-century tower vestry has splayed windows to each face.

The nave's north wall has a moulded plinth and five trefoiled three-light windows, each with different tracery over and moulded labels with head stops, positioned between stepped buttresses. The end buttresses each have stone two-light two-centre arches with quatrefoils over in their upper stages. Stone quatrefoil ventilators appear in each bay.

The crenellated west tower rises through three tall stages on a moulded plinth. A stepped angle buttress with trefoiled pediments adorns the second stage of the west face. A south-west gabled stair turret, rising to nave ridge height, has lancet and two cinquefoil lights to the apex. Tripartite two-centre arches with moulded capitals and bases to shafts stand beneath, with a quatrefoil light to the first and second stages. Lancet windows to each face of the lower second stage are topped with clock faces, each with quatrefoils flanking the south face. The belfry louvres comprise two moulded and shafted lights with quatrefoils over, beneath moulded two-centre arched heads with a band to imposts following through. The second stage features a west tripartite window with moulded two-centred arched heads and moulded shafts between with capitals and bases. The centre window contains two lights with a cinquefoil over and foliate stops to the label.

The north porch is accessed by a two-step approach with stops to the coping and a cross finial to the apex band below an aureole. A chamfered two-centred arch leads into the recessed porch with a moulded and stopped label. The archway has a red brick soffit. A moulded two-centre arched doorway features jambs with moulded shafts, capitals, rings and bases. The floor is laid in red and black tiles. Double vertically boarded doors with ornate iron hinges provide access.

Interior

The chancel roof is supported by stone corbels bearing shields, which support king posts. Traceried spandrels spring from arched collar braces, with further arched braces rising from the base of the king posts. A reredos of nine carved and crenellated wooden panels dominates the east wall. Commemorative stained glass fills the east window. The north-east window has a lowered cill forming a small altar with a tiled reredos. A two-centred arch spans the south wall. Crenellated and panelled choirstalls feature Alleluia carvings. A wall plaque commemorates Peter Schuyler Bruff, Civil Engineer of Ipswich (died 1900), who was the architect of the Pier Hotel and other buildings in Walton and Clacton.

The chancel arch has a moulded two-centre arched head with jambs bearing moulded capitals and bases to three shafts.

The nave roof comprises double side purlins with moulded arched braces to moulded lower and upper collars, with a king post rising from the lower collar. A carved octagonal wooden pulpit stands on double turned balusters to its steps. An octagonal stone font features pointed quatrefoils to panels, each with a shield or foliate centre.

The five-bay south aisle has alternate octagonal and circular columns with moulded capitals and bases, supporting chamfered two-centred arches. The north-east bay has angel stops to its label, while other bays have foliate stops. Moulded capitals, bases and rings adorn the central shaft of each pair of aisle windows, which feature chamfered arches. Stone foliate corbels support the arched and straight braces of the lean-to roof.

Leaded coloured glass is found in all nave aisle and tower windows. The outer tower arch has moulded capitals, rings and bases with jambs featuring triple chamfered attached shafts, whilst the inner arch has moulded capitals, rings and bases. Red and black tiled floors run throughout. A chamfered two-centre arched doorway leads to the bell turret.

The base of the tower now serves as a Memorial Hall dedicated to the World Wars I and II.