Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

This parish church on the east side of High Street in Newchurch is a cruciform building of mixed periods, displaying architectural evolution from the 12th century onwards.

The oldest element is the north wall of the nave, which dates from the 12th century. The remainder of the nave is 13th century, with the aisles rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel dates from the 16th century, the south transept was enlarged in the 18th century, and the upper part of the tower was added in the late 18th century.

The building is constructed of Isle of Wight stone rubble with a tiled roof. The cruciform plan comprises a nave with aisles, transepts, a south-west porch with tower above, and a chancel. The tower's lower part is rendered with diagonal buttresses and a pointed arched doorway. The upper stage is weatherboarded with a crenellated parapet and louvred quatrefoil bell openings, topped by a broached shingled spire surmounted by a weathervane. The porch displays a list of charitable bequests.

The nave has four bays with octagonal piers and double chamfered pointed arches, probably dating to the early 14th century. The roof features a chamfered tie beam with lamb's tongue stop, probably circa 1685, as it is identical to the dated chancel roof and has seven cants, originally plastered. The west wall contains an early 14th century Y tracery window and an octagonal window above, with a pointed arched door fitted with a medieval oak studded plank door.

The north aisle has one round-headed window in a splayed bay, a blocked-in cambered doorcase, and a double lancet in a splayed bay. The south aisle has two windows with tall trefoliated lancets in splayed bays. The door to the porch has a pointed arch within a cambered arch and a medieval plank door with studs.

The crossing contains early 13th century north, south and east arches with three slight chamfers. A lancet window above the east arch between nave and chancel represents the remains of a 13th century crossing tower.

The north transept features a double round-headed window on the east side and an early 14th century Y tracery window to the east. Its roof dates to the late 17th century and has a chamfered tie beam with seven cants. The north wall displays marble wall plaques, including one to Jane Billington of Knighton Gorges dated 1674 (a rectangular marble plaque with shield above) and one to Sir Robert Dillington of Knighton Gorges dated 1689 (a circular marble monument with shield and cupid's head). There are also eight 18th century basalt slabs commemorating members of the Dillington family.

The south transept has a triple cinquefoil-headed lancet in the east wall and a taller triple cinquefoil-headed lancet in the north wall. It was enlarged in the 18th century and contains marble wall plaques, including one to Maurice Bocland of Knighton Gorges dated 1765 (a pedimented plaque with crest and willow and bay branches below) and one to Alexander Bisset dated 1781.

The chancel has a north early 13th century window with three lancets, an east window in the Perpendicular style with three cinquefoil-headed lancets, and a south window with two triple cinquefoil-headed lancets. The roof has a chamfered tie beam with lamb's tongue stop, dated 1685 and inscribed with the name Richard Edgecombe, the incumbent of the time who lived at Parsonage Farmhouse. A second beam bears the inscription "Lo G E 1777" (Lord George Edgecombe). The chancel also contains a series of 18th and early 19th century wall plaques.

Interior features include an early 18th century wooden pulpit on a stone panelled base, a Perpendicular gilded wooden lectern in the form of a running pelican from Frome in Somerset, and an early 18th century parish chest. An heraldic achievement of King William III is dated 1700. Additional 18th and 19th century marble wall plaques are displayed throughout the church.