Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints at Boughton Aluph is a Grade I listed parish church with origins in the 13th century, substantially rebuilt in the 14th century, with 15th century additions and 17th century modifications.

The church was extensively restored in 1878. It is constructed of flint and rubble with rubble and ashlar dressings; the porches and buttresses are of brick. The building comprises a nave with aisles, transepts, a chancel, a north-east chapel, and a crossing tower with a prominent two-stage stair turret. North and south porches are also present.

The west and north transept windows are of 14th century curvilinear design with four lights and cinquefoils over; the south transept window, now blocked, was of similar design. The north aisle has two 19th century three-light windows in brick; the south aisle has two 19th century three-light windows in curvilinear style, all with plain chamfered surrounds. The north chapel has two lancets to the west and two paired lancets with quatrefoils over to the east, all of 13th century date. The chancel has one 15th century three-light Perpendicular window and one 14th century two-light curvilinear window on the south wall. The chancel east window is a five-light 15th century Perpendicular window; the chapel east window is a four-light 15th century Perpendicular window. The west door is 18th century plank set in a 14th century roll-moulded surround between two large offset buttresses. The 17th century brick porches include a north porch with a rendered moulded arched opening and a south porch with brick cornice and parapet gable and a large brick chimney to the east. The north chapel has a plain half-sunk doorway between two west lancets. The transepts and aisles stand on a weathered plinth with parapet roof and several large offset buttresses, some repaired in brick; a large brick flying buttress supports the south-east corner of the chancel. The tower and turret have irregular single 14th century lights.

The interior reveals that the nave, aisles, transepts and crossing are of a single build dated 1329-1361 on heraldic evidence. The four-bay nave arcade has octagonal piers on moulded bases with double-chamfered arches, constructed of chalk blocks. The crossing piers are a continuation of the nave arcade, only slightly more massive, with crossing arches of larger span. All windows and doors retain original reveals with angular four-centred arches over the west and north doors. The north door is 17th century plank with door-width plain metal hinges; the south door is plastered over. The north chapel has four windows and a door in the north wall all of 13th century date with plain chamfered reveals dying into plain jambs. The 13th century arcade to the chancel comprises three squat round piers with various moulded and undercut capitals and water-holding bases, but with the same double-chamfered arches as the nave. The chancel arch matches the nave and transept crossing arches. On the chancel south wall are two blocked window openings, the westernmost blocked by the 14th century stair turret, the easterly cut through by a 14th century curvilinear window. Both chancel and chapel are at a lower level than the transepts and crossing, with a step down to the east.

Fittings include a holy water stoup by the north door. A 13th century sedile in the chancel has a hollow-chamfered and undercut surround with attached shafts of uneven height in the jambs and a drip-mould over. A piscina to the east has 14th century leaf crockets over a 13th century trefoil. A small plain aumbrey is cut by crockets over the piscina. Piscinas are also present in the north chapel and south transept, the latter with an ogee head. A 15th century bracket is carried on a female head in the chancel, and a 15th century demi-angel bracket is in the chapel. The north transept east wall has a 15th century wall painting of the Trinity with two brackets that once supported a 17th century monument. A 14th century wooden screen in the north chapel has solid lower panels and eight-light traceried screens either side of a four-light double door with roll-moulded and hollow-chamfered beam on top. 17th century altar rails are present in the chancel. Fragments of 14th century glass depicting the coronation of the Virgin, representations of Edward III and Eleanor, and 14th century heraldry survive in the north transept window, with various fragments in the west window. A Perpendicular 15th century octagonal font is present.

The north or Moyle chapel contains several monuments. A monument to Amye Clerk (née Moyle), died 1631, shows a recumbent shrouded figure with children at head and feet below a coffered pediment on Corinthian paired capitals in white marble on a black field, possibly by Edward Marshall. A black tablet on the floor, now badly damaged after removal from the north transept, commemorates Captain Robert Moyle died 1639 with a moulded arch surround carved with military trophies. On the chapel south pier is a wall tablet to Sir Robert Moyle, died 1661, in black and white marble on consoles with scrolls and a broken pediment over containing the achievement. A 17th century coat of arms in lozenge appears on the north chapel north wall.