Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a parish church with a complex history, possibly dating back to Saxon times, with early Norman origins and significant alterations in the late 12th century. It was further enlarged in the early 14th century, remodelled in the early 19th century by H Woodyer, damaged by bombing in 1940 and restored in 1954 by R Blacking. The church is constructed of rubble stone, partly rendered, with stone dressings, and features old plain tile roofs.

The building comprises a late 12th-century chancel and north chapel, with a lengthened chancel from the early 14th century and a south chapel added around the same time. The nave, originally of early 12th-century design, was remodelled in the late 12th century when a south-east tower was constructed, seemingly with a balancing north transept. Aisle additions occurred in the early 13th century, with a 19th-century west porch and window, and a complete rebuilding of the chancel and north chapel in the 20th century. The east end of the chancel features a 20th-century replacement of a pointed three-light geometric window, beneath which lies a window frame possibly from a Saxon round-headed window that was discovered during the 20th-century rebuilding. The chapels have circa 1300 three-light pointed reticulated east windows, complemented by square-headed two-light reticulated windows on their sides.

The three-stage tower retains an unaltered lower stage from circa 1175, with a tall round-headed lancet window on the south side. A moulded string course marks the boundary of the 15th-century rebuilt upper stages. Smaller square-headed trefoiled windows are found on the second stage, facing north and east. The top stage has square-headed two-light bell openings and a parapet. The aisles contain early 14th-century wide trefoiled lancets, some of which have been restored. A plain 14th-century south door remains. At the west end of the nave is a mid-19th-century gabled Norman porch, topped by a 19th-century perpendicular three-light window.

Internally, the chancel, north chapel, and east wall were largely rebuilt in the 20th century. The north arcade consists of two bays of pointed chamfered arches on round piers, notable for scallops on their capitals with diagonal patterning on the abacus faces. The chancel arch is a mid-12th-century remnant from an earlier church, exhibiting a low roundheaded design with slight chamfer and moulded abaci. The south arcade features three bays of pointed chamfered arches on round piers with moulded capitals. A 19th-century roundheaded arch connects the south chapel to the tower, while other arches to the tower display restored features with varied scalloped capitals and sawtooth patterns on the abaci. Nave arches, spanning four bays, are also pointed and chamfered, supported by round piers with moulded capitals. At the west end of the nave sits a 12th-century doorway with a plain inner order and an outer order with roll-mould springing from nook-shafts and scalloped capitals. The arch is characterized by thick zig-zag moulding between an inner intersecting diagonal moulded element and an outer fleuron moulding. The roofs feature barrel ceilings, and the nave walls display a line of stone corbels below the wallplate. Period features include a 17th-century pulpit with carved panels.