Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Church. Built in the 12th century with alterations from the 13th or 14th century, partly rebuilt in the late 14th or 15th century, the chancel rebuilt in the mid-18th century, and the south porch and belfry added in the late 19th century. The church was restored in 1902–3 at the expense of Mr V.J. Watney.

The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings; the chancel and porch are ashlar. Roofs are not visible behind parapets, and the porch has stone slate roofing. The plan consists of a two-bay nave with south porch and a one-bay chancel.

The nave features a moulded cornice and ashlar parapet with chamfered coping. A 19th-century gabled west bellcote with truncated finial contains three arched openings. On the south front are two late 14th or 15th-century square-headed windows, each of two ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with quatrefoils in the spandrels, moulded reveals, and returned hoodmoulds. A central 15th-century boarded door with strap hinges has a wave-moulded archway with returned hoodmould. The porch has a coped parapeted gable with a cross at the apex, a chamfered trefoiled archway, and a boarded door with strap hinges; the interior includes a side bench to the right. A lean-to stone shed to the right of the porch has a boarded door.

At the west end is a square-headed 15th-century window of two depressed-arched lights with returned hood mould and wrought-iron bars. A 12th-century chamfered round-arched blocked doorway to the left has impost moulding and returned hood mould. The north side features a central low buttress with offset, a small 12th-century chamfered round-arched window to the right with hood mould, and probably a 17th-century two-light chamfered mullioned stone window to the left with rectangular-leaded lights. A 20th-century lean-to boilerhouse to the left has a stone slate roof and truncated stone stack against the nave wall.

The chancel has a raised eaves band and low parapet with chamfered coping. The east window is round-arched with plain architrave, raised cill, impost blocks, keystone, and rectangular-leaded glazing with radial head and central cast-iron casement. A reused 14th-century low-side window on the south has two ogee trefoil-headed lights under a square head, an 18th-century flush stone surround, and plain leaded glazing.

Interior: The nave roof is an 18th-century three-bay roof with king-post trusses, moulded brackets with carved rosettes (circa 1902–3), reused medieval carved stone head corbels, and single purlins. The south windows have hollow-chamfered jambs, with the left-hand window having a recess below. A cinquefoil-headed piscina with shelf and scalloped bowl is present. The 12th-century north window has deeply-splayed jambs. A blocked segmental-arched north doorway exists. The chancel arch is 13th or 14th-century double-chamfered. A squint to the right has a Tudor-arched head and chamfered left-hand reveal with broach stop. The two-bay chancel roof consists of a king-post truss with chamfered tie-beam and ridge piece, the remainder ceiled.

Fittings include an 18th-century or restored (circa 1902–3) communion table with bulbous legs, communion rails of circa 1902–3, and a marble floor to the sanctuary. Plain benches are present. Eighteenth-century box pews with H-hinges include a pew to the pulpit with raised and fielded panels. An 18th-century two-decker pulpit has a moulded top rail and winder stairs. A wig peg remains on the side of the chancel arch behind. A 12th-century plain circular stone font, lead-lined, is present. Old coat pegs remain on the north wall in front of the blocked doorway.

The church contains fragments of medieval wall paintings. These include early 14th-century depictions of St Leonard and St Frideswide on the north wall, a 15th-century Miracle of the Clay Birds on the south reveal of the squint, remains of a 15th-century Last Judgement over the chancel arch, and 15th-century depictions on the south wall of the nave showing the legend of St Eloi and the horse, a rare depiction of St Zita, St George and the Dragon, and St Eligius. Other faded fragments remain, including colour on the chancel arch. Late 17th or early 18th-century painted texts with scrolled surrounds appear on the west wall; one is illegible, whilst the other reads: "Now my God / let (I beseech thee) / thine eyes be open / and let thine ears be / ..... unto the prayer / that is made in this / place / II Chrons Chap / VI v.10". Some probably late 17th or early 18th-century painted gadrooning appears above the south doorway.

A tablet to the right of the door is inscribed: "THIS CHURCH - OF ALL SAINTS / SHORTHAMPTON - WAS RESTORED IN 1903 (THE REMAINS OF ITS / OLDER MURAL PAINTINGS, WHICH / HAD BEEN HIDDEN FOR SOME 350 / YEARS BEING THEN UNCOVERED), / AND WAS REOPENED FOR THE / SERVICE OF GOD ON NOVEMBER 1ST, / ALL SAINTS DAY". The 1902–3 restoration was carried out at the expense of Mr V.J. Watney of Cornbury Park.