All Saints Church

All Saints Church, Hawstead

All Saints Church is a medieval parish church that was substantially restored in 1857. The building comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, and north vestry.

The church is constructed in flint rubble with limestone dressings, with plain-tiled roofs and leaded parapet roofs to the tower and porch. The earliest surviving features are the north and south nave doorways, dating to the 12th century. These feature chevron- and roll-moulded round arches with moulded imposts, engaged shafts with cushion capitals and moulded bases.

The chancel contains significant mid-13th-century work, including lancets (now blocked) in the side walls and a south doorway. The chancel arch has polygonal jambs with moulded capital and base. A double piscina is now hidden behind the tomb of Elizabeth Drury, while another 13th-century piscina survives in the nave to the left of the chancel arch. A fine 14th-century canopied recess with flanking pilasters occupies the chancel and contains the effigy of a 13th-century knight, said to be of the Fitz Eustace family. Three 2-light windows were inserted into the chancel in the mid-14th century. The chancel roof is a barrel vault, plastered with ribbed and bossed richly decorated panels.

The north vestry was probably added in the 15th century. Its flint rubble and freestone walls have been much repaired in red brick, and it features a cambered tie-beam roof.

The tower, nave and south porch were all built in the early 16th century. The tower is constructed in three stages on a freestone plinth with a frieze of flushwork traceried panels. It features a moulded west doorway with a large 3-light window above; between them is a frieze bearing the arms of the Drury family. A polygonal full-height stair turret rises through the tower, which has 2-light belfry openings and crenellated parapets with flushwork panels. The nave has 3-light side windows, all having dropped-cill seats.

The nave contains a fine 9-bay roof, probably not completed before 1550 and heavily restored in 1857. The roof features principal rafters with arch-braced high collars and king posts. Alternate trusses have arch-braced hammer beams carved as angels with traceried spandrels, while intermediate trusses are arch-braced directly to the wall-pieces on stone corbels. A deep moulded and traceried cornice runs the length of the nave, with two purlins and a ridge. Many roof members are carved with folded-leaf ornament.

The porch is constructed of squared flint and limestone rubble, with a pilastered doorway, 2-light windows and parapet gables. The east window was renewed in the early 16th century and is large, comprising five lights.

A 13th-century wall-painting of a female figure survives beside the tower arch; it was originally on the south chancel wall behind the Elizabeth Drury tomb and was moved around 1980.

The church contains a 12th-century font with a plain square bowl; the original square base was replaced with turned shafts around 1857. A 15th-century rood screen features two sidelights on each side with tracery at upper level; the sanctus bell remains on the top rail. An octagonal oak pulpit, heavily restored, incorporates some early 16th-century panels. Restored early 16th-century poppyhead stalls with traceried fronts survive in the chancel, along with four simple 16th-century poppyhead elm pews. Nineteenth-century poppyhead nave pews include four with reused 16th-century animal-heads. A 17th-century family pew of oak-panelled construction with marquetry is present, and late 17th-century altar rails and gates now placed across the tower arch survive from this period.

Some 15th- and 16th-century stained glass appears in a north nave window, showing heraldry, saints and evangelists in roundels. The east window and others contain good 19th-century stained glass commemorating the Cullum family.

The chancel contains fine wall monuments and tablets including a monument to Sir Robert Drury (died 1624) by Nicholas Stone, Elizabeth Drury (died 1610), Sir Thomas Cullum (died 1664) by D. Nacinto in painted plaster of outsize proportions, Sir Dudley Cullum (died 1720), and Dame Anna Cullum (died 1735). The nave contains the altar tomb of Sir William Drury (died 1557). A group of six good marble wall tablets in the nave commemorates the Metcalfe family, including one to Mary Buckley, Viscountess Carleton. Three 16th-century brasses remain in the chancel floor. Several black marble floor slabs of late 17th- to early 19th-century date, mainly to the Cullum family, survive in the nave and chancel.

A large 19th-century organ with Gothic ornament is installed in the church.