Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Anglican parish church, built 1914–1917 by Crickmay and Sons. The building is constructed in Portland ashlar with tile roofs, stone slates covering four courses to eaves level on all roofs except the nave and aisles, and lead cladding to the south chapel.

The church comprises a four-bay nave with cross-gabled aisles, a north-west porch, transepts, chancel, south chapel, and vestry. The west end of the south aisle was designed to support a tower that was never built. All gables feature copings with hollow-mould saddle backs at lower levels and stepped, weathered details at higher levels, set upon slight plinths.

The west front displays a large five-light gabled window with a buttress to its left and a gabled porch slightly set forward, covered by a segmental-pointed arch over a plank door. A hopper-head sits on the return by the buttress. To the right is a square buttress with toothing prepared to receive the unbuilt tower, and a flat segmental-headed arch above a door in the recessed end of the aisle, followed by further toothing and the base of a large square buttress for the tower. The south side has a small bellcote on its west gable, followed by three gables over four-light windows separated by deep weathered buttresses on a single offset. Four cast-iron hopper-heads and down-pipes run along this elevation. The transept gable, set on haunches and flanked by gabled buttresses, has a four-light window and an offset gabled porch with plank doors beneath a pointed arch. Beyond this lies the chapel, blocked by a parapet with two two-light cusped lights and a stone hopper-head, behind which are three three-light chancel windows. The east end has a low gabled end to the chapel over a three-light window with flat pointed head, and the main gable with a terminal cross and large five-light window. Set back to the left is a long low wing with two windows and a door. The north front has a gabled end to a low block with two- and three-light windows and a door, with a single light to the chancel above, followed by a high gabled organ loft with a large square stack and a semi-octagonal stair turret crowned by a pyramid cap. The remainder of the north side mirrors the south front.

Windows are generally in Perpendicular style, except those to the chancel, which are late Decorated.

The interior contains a four-bay nave on moulded arches carried by quatrefoil piers with roll mould. The roof features arch-braced principals, simplified at the half-bays. The aisles have complex roof structures, and the chancel has a painted timber wagon ceiling. Walls are left unplastered. A panelled wall with a central curtain reaches to cill height at the reredos. The north side of the chancel has a four-centred arch over the vestry door set beneath a stepped string course that continues to the south side over the piscina and sedilia, with a similar door to the south chapel.

Original furnishings include simple pews, good choir stalls, and a splendid octagonal carved wood pulpit on a striped stone base. The south chapel windows were made by Clayton and Bell and are dedicated to Canon John Augustine Beazer (1872–1909) of St George, Reforne, the church that was replaced by All Saints. An octagonal font with cover and animal supporters is also present. A large framed tithe map of undated origin hangs at the west end.

The church is a confident design with meticulous detailing and retains most of its original fittings. The intended tower was never constructed.