Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints in Hethel is a medieval parish church with later additions. It is primarily constructed of flint with rendered surfaces, except for the tower, which features ashlar dressings. A brick chapel is located on the north side. The church has a slate roof over the nave, while the eastern roof is not visible.

The structure includes a west tower, a nave with a north aisle, a south porch, and a chancel that contains a former mausoleum. The west tower may date back to before the Conquest, showcasing vestigial long and short quoins at the base, with the rest of the building featuring rubble quoining. A blocked western door is adorned with re-used non-radial brick voussoirs. The bell stage, which is post-medieval, has wooden Y-traceried openings, crow-stepped parapets, and obelisk finials.

The chancel windows, designed in the Victorian Decorated style, are traceried, while the nave and aisle windows have wooden frames set beneath segmental arches. The former brick mausoleum, built around 1730 for the Branthwaite family, features rusticated quoins, two blocked semi-circular headed windows on the north side, and a large Victorian eastern archway with wooden tracery. It also has a dentil and moulded brick cornice, along with a tall parapet that includes blocked three-centred openings.

The church porch, dating from the 15th century, boasts a finely moulded entrance and a later crow-stepped gable. Inside, there is a three-bay arcade from the 14th or 15th century, supported by octagonal piers and plain-chamfered arches. The tower arch is styled similarly. The former mausoleum has two blank Classical tablets that were opened up to connect with the north aisle and chancel in the 19th century.

Notably, there is a remarkable coloured alabaster tomb of Myles Branthwaite, who died in 1612, and his wife Mary, located on the north side of the chancel. The tomb features full-size effigies, with Myles depicted lying on his side and Mary on her back. It is flanked by Corinthian columns that support a coffered arch and obelisks. Above the arch is strapwork and a painted achievement, along with an inscription in an elaborate cartouche within the tympanum, and three kneeling weepers below.