Church Of All Saints

CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

A parish church at West Alvington with origins in the 13th century, extensively remodelled in the 15th century, and restored in 1866-7. The walls are roughly coursed slate stone rubble with a gable-ended slate roof covering the nave and chancel.

The plan preserves some 13th-century fabric in the chancel, evidenced by a piscina, though the nave, narrow north and south aisles, tower, and porch largely date from the 15th century. A 19th-century vestry projects from the north of the chancel. The south chapel housed the Ilbert family pew. The 19th-century restoration included the roofs, screen, and reseating.

The west tower comprises three stages with a crenellated parapet and crocketted pinnacles, set-back buttresses, and 2-light cinquefoiled belfry lights, probably restored. A 15th-century 2-centred arched west doorway with roll and hollow moulding is surmounted by a Perpendicular window above. The north aisle features a stone parapet with moulded cornice, extending six bays long with buttresses between the windows and a 5-sided stair projection between the chapel and aisle. Large 4-light Perpendicular windows occupy the north aisle, some retaining original tracery and others restored. The chancel is topped by a gabled vestry, with an early 20th-century east window in Perpendicular style. A 3-light window on the south side of the chancel retains probably 15th-century tracery, and a small priest's door with 2-centred head is also present. The south aisle windows are late Perpendicular in character though probably restored, with buttresses between them. Both the south aisle and the two-storeyed porch are crenellated. A large roundheaded doorway with roll and hollow moulding contains an image niche above holding figures of a bishop and a swan, with a single light window above.

Interior: The porch has a 20th-century flat beamed ceiling with stone seats either side and an image niche in the left-hand wall. A small doorway with shouldered head accesses the room above. The large south doorway has a 4-centred head with roll and hollow moulding. The internal walls have been stripped of plaster. Two identical six-bay arcades of Beerstone feature Pevsner A-type piers with carved capitals and 4-centred arches. At the east end of each arcade stands a 5-sided rubble pier set against the well, with a 4-centred tower arch with double-chamfered head and projecting imposts. The 15th-century rood screen is heavily restored, with missing sections to the aisles lacking coving and cornice, though traces of original colour remain. The wagon roof over the nave and flat timber roofs of the aisles are either completely renewed or heavily restored. The chancel contains a 13th-century trefoil-headed piscina and aumbry with chamfered arch. A good 15th-century chest tomb of Purbeck marble is set into the north well of the chancel, with a decorated canopy above and outlines of removed brasses at the back, possibly commemorating a member of the Bowering family. A fine wall memorial to William Bastard (died 1700) on the north well features a marble plaque with cherub heads above and below, high relief foliage and fruit down either side flanked by Corinthian columns, a broken pediment, and a heraldic shield above. A late medieval octagonal font with carved panels to the bowl completes the interior fittings.