Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a stone church primarily dating from the 12th to 13th centuries, with 15th and 19th-century additions and alterations. Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as “one of the richest churches in Berkshire,” it features stone tiled roofs and incorporates a nave and aisles, transepts, a chancel, a north-east chapel, and a broad, short crossing tower.

The nave, largely of the early and late 12th century, shows early 12th-century buttresses to the west front. Its arcade comprises four bays with moulded round arches supported by round piers with stiff-leaf capitals. A narrow round-headed clerestory provides lighting. The west window and door are Early Perpendicular, dating to the 15th century. The north aisle was altered in the 15th century and contains two fine 6-light Perpendicular windows. A projecting 19th-century baptistery features a reset late 12th-century doorway with a crenellated frieze around the arch and weathered carved jambs. The south aisle was rebuilt in 1853 by J Hugall, and includes an exceptional 13th-century plank door with rich scrolled dragon-head ironwork.

The crossing, dating to the late 12th century, is richly shafted with varied stiff-leaf caps and four moulded pointed arches. Small quatrefoil recesses with carved heads are set in the spandrels. The upper part of the tower is from the 13th century, with two plain lancets on each face. The top of the tower and spire were destroyed in 1645, leaving a plain parapet.

The north transept dates to the 13th century and includes a 14th-century west aisle. A large, pointed, chamfered 13th-century arch opens into the north-east chapel, with a smaller 15th-century opening leading to a 19th-century vestry; two 19th-century lancets provide lighting to the north. The west side is characterized by a narrow, late 12th-century pointed billetted arch on a 19th-century pillar, leading to the north nave aisle, and a wide 19th-century arch to the transept aisle. A fine 14th-century 4-light north window with recticulated tracery and an elaborate cinquefoiled rear arch is also present. The south transept was built in 1853 with a western aisle mirroring the north side, and featuring lancet windows.

The chancel, also from the 13th century, includes a range of six lancets along the south wall, three to the east end, and two to the north wall, with two 15th-century arches leading to the north-east chapel. A 13th-century trefoil-headed piscina and an elaborate, later 13th-century triple sedilia are on the south wall. The chancel has a 14th-to-15th-century trussed rafter roof. The north-east chapel, dating to the 15th century, has a 5-light east window and a 4-light north window. Notable monuments include a series of small, reset 15th-century brasses in the chancel. Three fine 18th-century marble monuments are located in the north-east chapel, commemorating Henry Pye and his two wives. Further monuments are located in the north transept and aisle, including 16th-century monuments to the Unton family, especially Sir Thomas Unton (d. 1533), featuring a chest tomb with two recumbent figures and Sir Alexander Unton (d. 1547) with a Purbeck marble Gothic canopied recess; a kneeling female figure is part of a supposed larger monument to Sir Henry Unton (d. 1596). A fine late 17th-century marble monument to Sir Henry Purefoy of Wadley is also present. Stained glass from around 1852 is found in the east windows and chancel lights, with glass by Wailes dating to around 1865 in the south lancets, and c.1855 in the transept aisle.