Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints, Hillesden

Parish church of exceptional architectural quality. The mid-15th century west tower is constructed of rubble stone, whilst the remainder of the church was rebuilt after 1493 in ashlar. The building was restored in 1874–75 by Sir George Gilbert Scott and again in 1960. The roofs are lead-covered.

The church follows a cruciform plan with aisles, a north porch, a chapel to the north of the chancel, and a vestry with an octagonal stair turret to the northeast. It is a very fine Perpendicular church, characterised by a moulded plinth, buttresses with hood-moulds, and a plain parapet to the nave. The remainder of the church has an embattled parapet with ornamental blind tracery and crocketted finials on the north porch, chancel, chapel, vestry and stair turret.

The tower comprises three stages. The bell chamber features 2-light traceried openings, as does the west side above a 4-centred moulded doorway. The nave contains three bays with 5-light cusped windows forming a continuously glazed clerestory. The aisles are lit by triple uncusped lancets in 4-centred heads. The north porch has a 4-centred arch with carved foliage in the spandrels and an elaborate canopied niche above; the interior contains traceried wall panels and a fan vault. The transepts, north chapel and chancel are lit by 4-light transomed Perpendicular windows, which are uncusped to the north and south of the transepts. A large east window features 5 lights with a transom and double traceried upper section. The two-storey vestry has single 4-centred lights to the ground floor and 2-light cusped windows with flat hoods above. The stair turret has a striking top with an elaborate parapet and crocketted ogee arches flanking the central finial.

The interior contains a nave arcade of three bays with moulded 4-centred arches on piers with attached shafts. Taller similar arches serve the transepts and chancel. The chancel features two similar arches on 8-shafted piers opening to the north chapel, blind tracery panels to the remaining walls, and a top frieze of carved half-angels holding scrolls or musical instruments. The north chapel has similar wall panels and squints to the upper vestry. Both areas have flat plaster ceilings with wooden ribs. Piscinae in the chancel and north chapel have moulded corbels.

The church contains a circular 13th-century font. An early 16th-century wooden screen with much-restored elaborate tracery and a rood loft on fans survives; pews and choir stalls display linenfold ornament, some of 16th-century date and the remainder restored or imitated in the 19th century. A similar low screen is situated in the north chapel. A 17th-century family pew in the north transept features strapwork and pedimented cartouches. 15th–16th century doors remain. Fragments of early 16th-century glass appear in the chancel and south aisle; a complete window exists to the east of the south transept. The south window of the transept contains 1875 glass. A painted coat of arms is positioned to the left of the east window. Three late 17th-century painted panels in the tower display the royal arms, Aaron and Moses.

The monuments are of considerable interest. In the chancel stands a marble wall monument to Catharine Denton (1733) by H. Cheere, featuring a sarcophagus on a plinth with flanking busts, urns and an obelisk. Also in the chancel are a wall tablet to Dr. William Denton, physician to Charles I and II (died 1691), with flanking Tuscan columns, and a tablet to George Woodward (1735). In the north chapel is an altar tomb with recumbent effigies of Thomas Denton and his wife (1560), and an elaborate wall monument to Alexander Denton (1576) with a sarcophagus surrounded by fluted Tuscan columns, triglyph entablature, bold cornice and pediment. Additional wall tablets in the north chapel commemorate Elizabeth Denton (1667), Thomas Isham (1676), and Godfrey Boate (mid-18th century).