Church Of All Saints

TL 96 NE GT ASHFIELD ELMSWELL ROAD

2/43 Church of All Saints 15.11.54

GV I

Parish church, medieval. Restored 1870. Nave, chancel, west tower, north aisle; south porch. Organ chamber and vestry added c.1870. Random flint rubble: to the north of the chancel is an area of C12 coursed flintwork. The extensive C19 refacing is in rounded uncut flints. Freestone dressings. Plaintiled roofs to nave and chancel with parapet gables. Slated roofs to porch and aisle. Some interesting C13 work: mid C13 south nave doorway hoodmoulded with nook shafts; medieval plank door with complete ironmongery. Two 2-light windows in the chancel, one with an outer arch and one without; a small lancet in north wall possibly C12. The aisle was added in mid C14: blocked hoodmoulded north doorway with one grotesque corbel remaining; square- headed 2-light windows. Tower also mid or late C14: parapetted roof with boarded spirelet. A frieze of flushwork arcading at the base: hoodmoulded west doorway and a dagger-traceried window above. Late C15 nave windows (2 restored, one decayed). Good early C16 porch of red brick with arcaded panels on the south facade: these have trefoiled terracotta heads and flushwork infilling. Labelled and hoodmoulded doorway with shafts, all in moulded brick, and the image niche above is in terracotta. Side windows with two trefoil-headed lights, and roof with archbraced principals rising from shafts. The base of a pillar stoup survives. Interior: Mid C14 nave arcade in 4 bays: 4 clustered polygonal shafts with moulded capitals supporting arches chamfered in 2 orders. Rood loft stairs with two square-headed doorways. An ogee- headed C14 image niche beside the east chancel window. Nave roof of c.1500: 7 bays of collarbeam trusses, archbraces to high collars and short king posts. Moulded and embattled cornice. Plain lean-to aisle roof also of c.1500. C19 chancel roof, a copy of that in the nave but with more elaborate cornice. C15 chancel arch. Mid C14 simply moulded octagonal font with plain bowl. Some fine C15 poppyhead benches in the nave with various creatures seated on the buttresses: two sets of 4, one other in the aisle, and several ends reused in C19 benches. A fine and unusual square pulpit, dated 1619 on the sounding board; much enrichment including arcaded panels and heavy bulbous legs. The sounding board is cantilevered from a crown supported by ramped scrolls. The altar reredos is also arcaded early C17 work. Later C17 altar rails with barley-sugar balusters. 3 painted hatchments in the chancel, and 2 in the nave. 3 marble slabs in the sanctuary floor, to C18 members of the Smith family. ____

Listing NGR: TL9955867787