Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a parish church dating from the late 12th or early 13th century, with significant additions and alterations through the 14th, 15th, and 19th centuries. It is constructed of flint, with brick and ashlar dressings, and has slate roofs. The west tower, originally of the late 12th or early 13th century, has a 14th-century belfry stage. The nave dates from the early 15th century, with a clerestory added in the late 15th century, funded by a bequest in 1495. The chancel is of the 14th century and was restored in 1833 and between 1861 and 1883, which saw the replacement of the south porch and the construction of a new chancel arch. Various furnishings have been renewed.

The three-stage west tower is circular with an octagonal belfry. It has a pointed brick lancet window on the west side, and two-light cusped and louvred belfry windows on alternate facets, with blind windows between. A plain parapet tops the tower. A gabled brick south porch, dated to the 19th century, stands in front of the church. The nave has two-light windows with depressed arches on the north and south sides, except for a larger three-light window in the south-east corner. Simple cusping appears on the tracery heads. There are six clerestory windows north and south of the nave, constructed of rendered brick with two pointed lancets under 4-centred arches, each with 4-centred hood moulds and label stops. Two smaller eastern windows on the south side allow for the larger nave window; buttresses, stepped and rendered, are located on both sides of the nave. A gabled north porch, used as a vestry in the 19th century and now a passageway to a 1970s vestry, is present. The north and south sides of the chancel have two 14th-century 2-light windows with diagonal four-petal tracery. A stepped buttress and an arched priest’s door with a hood mould are positioned to the south. The eastern side features diagonal buttresses and a three-light east window, restored between 1861 and 1883, incorporating two encircled quatrefoils in the tracery. Trefoiled statuary niches are located in the apex of the gable and to each side of the window; the apex niche has a further niche above it.

Inside, the tower has a wave-moulded arch without responds. The nave features a seven-bay hammerbeam roof, likely dating from 1495. This includes hammerbeams on solid arched braces carved with floral and heraldic devices, polygonal wall posts with capitals and bases, carved wall arches, and short hammerposts carrying thin arched braces to collars. Two tiers of moulded butt purlins and a ridge piece are present, as well as king posts. An octagonal font has crouching lions against the stem and symbols of the four Evangelists on the bowl panels, repeated, with two remaining panels having rosettes. A 19th-century chancel arch has circular responds, and the chancel roof is similarly boarded. The chancel east window contains three 14th-century figures in stained glass, with fragments also in the chancel side windows.