Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints, Sproughton

This parish church dates from the early 14th century with later medieval additions and alterations. It was substantially restored between 1863 and 1868 by Frederick Barnes of Ipswich, with further restoration work in 1870 and 1884.

The church is constructed of flint with stone dressings, featuring glacial boulders in the plinth and footings, and a tile roof. The plan comprises a west tower, aisled nave, south porch, partly aisled chancel, and north vestry.

The west tower is square and unbuttressed, rising in three stages with an embattled parapet. It contains a restored 3-light west window with intersecting tracery. Single lights pierce the north, south and west sides of the ringing chamber, with a clock face on the north and south sides. The bell openings feature Y-tracery, partly restored.

The nave has three bays. The south aisle contains one 2-light Decorated window (much restored) and one 3-light Perpendicular window (probably 19th century or heavily restored). A similar Perpendicular style window lights the 1870 chancel aisle. Both the west and east walls of the aisle have 2-light windows with Geometric tracery: the west window dates to around 1300 and is much restored, while the east window dates to around 1870. Three 2-light clerestorey windows with cusped Y-tracery light the nave.

The early 14th-century south doorway has two orders of filleted shafts with flat bases and moulded capitals; the arch comprises three orders of rolls with fillets or keel moulding. The current door is 19th century. The south porch is mainly 19th century with diagonal buttresses and a 3-centred arched entrance with two orders of shafts to each side resting on early 14th-century bases. A doorway to the chancel aisle has continuous moulding beneath its hoodmould.

The north aisle contains two 2-light windows with Y-tracery (early 14th century, restored) and two 3-light Perpendicular windows (the east window of 1870, the west restored). A blocked north doorway retains continuous chamfered moulding. A 2-light west aisle window with cusped Y-tracery (circa 1300) was altered in the 19th century.

The chancel features a 19th-century 5-light Perpendicular style east window, with a small blocked lancet above it. A 3-light Perpendicular style south window is also present. Diagonal buttresses support the chancel walls.

The interior contains three-bay north and south arcades of early 14th-century date with quatrefoil piers, bases and moulded capitals; the four principal shafts are filleted, while the intermediate shafts have narrow fillets or keel moulding. The arches have multiple moulded orders. The tower arch and chancel arch were largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The south doorway has a 4-centred rear arch, while the north doorway is blocked. The rear arches of the decorated aisle windows feature moulded hoods.

A piscina in the south aisle has a cusped head beneath a crocketted canopy. The north aisle piscina sits beneath a hoodmould and features an octofoil drain.

The nave roof is a six-bay arch-braced hammer beam roof, restored in 1867–68. Each alternate bay contains angels, with moulded cornice, collars and purlins throughout. The aisles have 19th-century roofs. The chancel roof, enriched in 1884, is 19th century and canted but retains a medieval moulded cornice. A squint connects the chancel to the vestry, which was formerly a chapel.

The chancel contains a doorway with continuous hollow chamfered moulding beneath a similar hood, with stops in the form of cherubs. A double piscina with traceried head divided by a central Y-shaft has an octofoil drain to the left and sits beneath a canopy with worn figure stops. Stepped sedilia are also present. Benches in the chancel incorporate 15th-century poppyhead benchends.

The octagonal 15th-century font has panels mostly recut with symbols of the Passion. Its octagonal stem features paired lancets with cusped heads on each face, and rests on an octagonal base.

The church contains several monuments. A marble monument to Mrs Bull (died 1634) depicts a kneeling figure facing east, supported by angels holding drapes of a canopy within an aedicule. The cornice carries an achievement between console brackets, with obelisk finials to either side, their apexes bearing further achievements. The angels are supported on pendant bosses beneath an inscribed apron with a putto's head. A stone rectangular aedicule with urn finials commemorates Edmund Beeston (died 1713), his wife Mary (died 1724) and their children. A marble monument to Revd Joseph Waite, Rector of the Parish in 1655, has a moulded cornice above an eared architrave with husked vertical moulding to each side. The marble slab bears the inscription "Behold I come Rev 16.15", below which is an encircled Chi Ro symbol, beneath a skull bearing a winged hourglass, and "I Waite Job 14.14".