Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

A parish church with Norman origins, substantially developed in the 14th and 15th centuries, restored in 1869 and again during 1875-89. The building comprises a nave, north aisle and chapel, west tower, and south porch with vestry to the north of the chancel. Stone rubble walls support a gable-ended slate roof.

The earliest feature is a Norman south doorway. The chancel dates from or was rebuilt in the 14th century. In the 15th century the church underwent major remodelling when the north aisle was added and the porch probably constructed. The tower was struck by lightning in 1550 and subsequently rebuilt; it was further restored in 1891 when new pinnacles were made. The vestry incorporates 17th-century features, though these may have been re-used during the 19th-century restoration. Kelly's Directory records that the church was restored from a ruinous state in 1869, and again during 1875-89 when the chancel was rebuilt.

Exterior

The west tower is a two-stage, unbuttressed structure, crenellated with renewed obelisk pinnacles terminating in crosses. The west doorway has a two-centred arch with recessed chamfer and an arched hoodmould above. A probably restored two-light west window features cinquefoiled heads and a quatrefoil above. The belfry openings are two lights with four-centred heads and hoodmoulds.

The north aisle west window was renewed in the 20th century in Decorated style. A granite-moulded north doorway with four-centred head and hoodmould opens to the main wall. East of this is an early 16th-century three-light granite mullion with segmental heads and hoodmould. Beyond is a 15th-century three-light mullion with ogee-headed lights and hoodmould. At the east end of the north wall is a 17th-century straight-headed three-light mullion. The east end wall of the aisle has a three-light granite Perpendicular window. The vestry projects as a small wing from the north wall of the chancel, with a cambered-head doorway on its east side and a 17th-century mullion window on its north wall. The east window is a 19th-century three-light restoration in Decorated style.

The south wall of the chancel retains two apparently early 14th-century unrestored windows. The nave has 19th-century two and three-light windows in Decorated style. The porch is gabled, of 15th or 16th-century date, with stone coping and a four-centred chamfered rubble arch.

Interior

The porch contains a renewed open timber roof. The main doorway is narrow, Norman, with a round arch to the tympanum, dressed stone jambs, and a colonnette either side with carved capitals. Internal walls are rendered.

A five-bay granite arcade to the north aisle features Pevsner A-type piers with carved capitals, moulding continuing on four-centred arches. A tall pointed rubble tower arch separates nave from chancel. All roofs have been replaced during restoration.

Furnishings and memorials include a small Norman font with fluted edge to bowl; late 19th-century carved pulpit, choir stalls and benches; and medieval Barnstaple floor tiles covering part of the nave and north chapel. The north chapel contains three 16th-century floor memorials, one of 1599 to Elizabeth Pomeroy, the others considerably worn. On the north wall is a marble obelisk-shaped memorial to Arscott Bickford of Dunsland, died 1771. Adjoining it is a large slate wall memorial to members of the Bickford family who died at various times in the 18th century. Next to this is a good memorial dated 1659, 1686 and 1662 to William Bickford, his wife Grace and Arthur Ascott of Dunsford. It is slate with a Corinthian column either side surmounted by a broken pediment with armorial shield at centre and winged angel's head below. Beyond are two 19th-century marble memorials to the Heysetts of Baracott.