Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

This church, located at Hollesley off Fox Hill, dates from the early 13th century with significant alterations and additions in the mid-15th century and around 1886. It is constructed of rubble and knapped flint with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. The building comprises a west tower, nave with north aisle, and chancel.

The west tower stands as the most architecturally distinguished element. Its west front features a slightly projecting plinth with an arcade of cusped lancets in flushwork, though most of the flint has been replaced by bricks. Diagonal buttresses with ashlar dressings are applied to the inner angles, each displaying two by two panels of flushwork to their outer faces, which die back into the corners of the tower above offsets. A central Perpendicular ground floor doorway with ashlar surround features double-ogee and billet mouldings. Ashlar spandrels above bear coats of arms, now heavily weathered. The door itself dates to the 20th century and has four canopied panels containing staff-motifs with Perpendicular tracery motifs above and decorative bands to the stiles. A string course runs above the doorway. Above this is a small vacant niche with cusped trefoil head, followed by a three-light Perpendicular window with cinquefoil heads to the lights and plate tracery. A stone band extends across the tower at the level of the first offset, above which is a trefoil-headed opening with square hoodmould. A circular clock face of 18th or early 19th century date sits above this. A band separates the clock stage from the belfry, which contains a two-light early-Perpendicular opening with ogee heads to the lights and a quatrefoil to the apex. A string course lies below a parapet with stepped battlements and an arcade of flushwork lancets that also incorporates a circle with four mouchettes and a crowned initial M. Corner pinnacles have been reduced in height.

The south face of the tower is similar in character, lacking only a door, lower window, and clock face. It has a cusped lancet placed slightly left of centre, and at right is a canted staircase turret with a rectangular lancet and quatrefoil-light to its south-western face. Within the flushwork arcade to the outer face of the right-hand buttress is a reset piscina. The north face is bare to its lower stages but shares the similar belfry opening. The parapet bears a shield with chequer motif to the left. The east face abuts the nave to its lower body but has a similar belfry opening and parapet, with flushwork in the parapet being little altered.

The nave's south face contains four bays, the three at right divided by buttresses with a further buttress at the extreme right. A doorway to the left has a hollow chamfer and hoodmould. The left-hand window of two lights displays Y-tracery of 19th century date, possibly following an earlier model. Two Perpendicular windows to the right feature two ogee-headed lights with mouchettes and quatrefoil to the apex.

The north face of the nave contains an aisle with rubble walling of circa 1886, featuring paired lancets in ashlar surrounds divided by buttresses.

The chancel has a lower ridge but flush walls with those of the nave. Its south face contains two windows similar to those on the right of the nave's south side. Between them is a buttress with two offsets and panels of flushwork tracery to its outer face. Immediately to its left is a priest's door with wave moulded surround of 19th century date, though the hoodmould may be earlier. The north face is similar but lacks a priest's door. The east face has diagonal buttresses with flushwork panels to the outer faces and a central three-light Perpendicular window with cinquefoil heads.

The interior features a roof of 19th century date with common rafters, arch braces, and collars springing from a cornice with a double row of brattishing. An octagonal font of 15th century date stands on an octagonal column with buttresses to the corners, decorated with square flowers and gargoyles below the bowl. The bowl itself displays recessed panels holding shields and roses against a cusped background.

The tower arch has wave mouldings and semi-octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. The arcade to the north aisle dates in part from an earlier aisle, comprising four arches with central octagonal plan flanked by circular piers, all with moulded capitals and bases. Fragments of the earlier arcade have been mixed with 19th century copies in this reconstruction. The central column has a wholly new capital and much renewed stone, while the lateral piers are less altered.

A 17th century oak pulpit stands on a 19th century ashlar base with three tiers of decorated panels and a reading desk. A decorated piscina in the nave's south wall displays a cusped head. Eight 15th century benches survive with poppyhead finials and animal pinnacles to the arm rests. A further 32 pews of this century closely follow their design.

The chancel is divided from the nave by a truss with cusped arch braces and a roof similar to that of the nave. The lower dado panels of a mid-15th century screen divide the chancel from the nave, with three panels to each side of the central opening. These feature miniature buttresses, ogee heads to the arches, and tracery above with a hollow chamfered sill. The boards behind the tracery panels have been renewed.