Church Of St Mary And All Saints

Church of St Mary and All Saints

This is a church of Late 12th-century origin with significant Late 13th-century additions. The chancel was rebuilt in 1864 and the entire church underwent restoration in 1875. The building is constructed of squared coursed limestone with an ashlar chancel and spire, and features slate and lead roofs.

The church comprises an aisled nave, chancel, south porch, north vestry and west tower. The chancel's south elevation displays a three-window range of two-light windows with buttresses between them, topped by a steep gabled roof with gable parapets, kneelers and finial. The east window contains four lights with shafts, cusped circles and carved label stops. The north elevation of the chancel is similar to the south. The south aisle has three bays with a two-window range of two-light windows featuring quatrefoil circles; the right window dates to the late 13th century while the left was restored in the 19th century. It has a lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet and two small gargoyles, and a similar three-light east window with trefoil circles.

The south porch is a 13th-century gabled structure in the centre bay with a single-chamfered outer doorway decorated with nail-head ornament and two small shields bearing Tresham arms either side. The inner doorway is Late 12th-century with a single order of shafts featuring waterleaf capitals and zig-zag decoration to the arch. The north aisle also has three bays; one contains a three-light window with four-centred arch head and carved label stops. It has a lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapets and a three-light east window with intersecting tracery. A 19th-century lean-to vestry occupies the centre bay and has a two-light square-head window. The decorated nave clerestory consists of a two-window range of two-light square-head windows with cusped lozenges in the tracery, beneath a shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet and two small gargoyles. A plain octagonal flue projects from the north-east corner.

The Late 13th-century west tower rises in three stages with a plinth and two-stage clasping buttresses. The west doorway has two orders of filleted shafts with arch mouldings, and a lancet window sits above. Small lancet windows pierce the north, south and west faces of the second stage. Two-light bell-chamber openings on each face of the upper stage feature Y-tracery and cluster shafts. The tower is crowned by a corbel table and broach spire with two tiers of lucarnes.

Interior

The three-bay nave arcade consists of 15th-century double-chamfered arches with octagonal piers and polygonal responds. One capital to the south retains nail-head decoration; capitals to the north were restored in the 19th century. The chancel arch and tower arch are both double-chamfered, the former with semi-circular responds, the latter with plain responds and flanking single-stage buttresses. The 19th-century nave and chancel roofs feature arched-braced trusses and carved stone corbels; aisle roofs may contain some earlier timber.

The 19th-century reredos to the altar displays cusped circles and lancet decoration. A piscina with cusped head is located in the south aisle. The octagonal font has an octagonal shaft with a decorated band at its base. The floor is laid with 19th-century tiles. Late 19th-century choir stalls, given by Lord Lilford, feature poppy heads representing birds and animals, symbolising Lord Lilford's ornithological interests. The 19th-century stained glass east windows of the chancel and south aisle, and south windows of the chancel, are complemented by painted north oval windows of the chancel.

Monuments and Historical Features

The church contains several monuments and tablets. These include John Hewitt (died 1799) and a tablet to Ann Jenour (died 1839) in the north aisle, the latter a marble tablet by Swan of Oundle. Various 19th-century brass tablets relate to the Powys family of Lilford Hall. A brass plaque in the north aisle commemorates Thomas Littleton Selby, who died in 1878 and served as agent for Lord Lilford and architect for the church's restoration in 1874.