Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Small medieval parish church, thoroughly restored in the 19th century. The building dates primarily to the mid-14th century, with the chancel arch, window openings, and walling of the nave and chancel from that period. The east window and tower arch are early 16th century. The nave was restored in 1875, and the chancel underwent more extensive work in 1882 including re-roofing, addition of a vestry, and a south porch.

The exterior is constructed of flint and clunch rubble with stone dressings and a tiled roof, with some brick and split flint repairs. Cement render has been removed from parts of the building.

The church comprises an unaisled short nave with a single window in each the north and south walls, both featuring two trefoiled lights with pierced heads under square labels. The roof is steeply pitched with coped gable parapets. The west bay of the nave is surmounted by a bellcote with a small broached copper spire over a timber bell-chamber. The west window has two lights with tracery under a pointed head.

The chancel is slightly narrower and lower than the nave and long in proportion. The south wall has a single light window, while the east wall has a three-light window with trefoiled heads under a four-centred arch. The chancel has small diagonal split flint buttresses and a roof at the same pitch as the nave with a coped gable parapet. A lean-to vestry in split flint stands on the north wall of the chancel with simple windows to the east and west and a north entrance. The south porch has a brick base with timber framing, open traceried panels, and decorative bargeboard; the south entrance is marked by a moulded pointed arch with stiff leaf stops to the label.

The interior features a 19th-century braced collar beam nave roof. A pointed arch separates the west bay as if a tower had been planned, with two moulded orders over semi-octagonal responds with capitals and bases. The chancel arch is similar to the tower arch but more finely moulded. The chancel has a 19th-century wagon roof with brattishing on the cornice. A two-bay pointed arcade separates the chancel and vestry.

The south wall of the chancel contains a notable monument to Mary Plomer (died 1605), an effigy tomb with a large seated frontal figure holding a chrisom child, one foot on a skull and an hour-glass in hand, with a smaller figure of Time to the left, the whole framed by decorated piers. The plinth has a panel depicting ten children, obelisks, and an achievement above. This is a notable example of rustic Elizabethan carving. Also on the south wall is a monument to Ann Plomer (died 1625), an inscribed slab framed by an arch and pediment with an achievement above. On the north wall of the chancel is a monument with small kneeling figures of John Parker (died 1595), his wife, and son in a surround similar to the Mary Plomer tomb but more modest. At the west end of the south chancel wall is a small leather plaque inscribed to William Pym (died 1729). On the south wall of the nave is a monument to William Plomer (died 1625), a single figure kneeling at an altar with flanking obelisks and ornamental crests over an arch. Eighteenth-century and later memorials line the nave walls.

Brasses in the chancel floor commemorate Elizabeth Parker (died 1602) on the north side and William Wheteaker (died 1487) with his wife and son on the south side. In the north-east corner of the nave is a brass to John Bele (died 1516) with his two wives and children. Above the east face of the tower arch is a stone-carved Royal Arms dated 1825.

The font dates to the 14th or 15th century and is a massive unornamented octagonal bowl with shields in recesses on the shaft. Seventeenth-century communion rails feature square tapering balusters. The east window and nave windows contain good late 19th-century glass, with the east window given in 1885.