Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a medieval church, largely rebuilt in 1849 by R.C. Hussey and restored in 1874 by W. Butterfield. It is constructed of sandstone and ironstone ashlar with limestone dressings, and has a slate roof. The church consists of a chancel with a south aisle, aisled nave, north and south porches, and a west tower with a crocketed octagonal spire. The style is Decorated. The east walls of the chancel and south aisle each have three windows with flowing tracery, and the side walls have two-light windows. A traceried parapet runs along the nave and chancel. The west tower has pinnacles.

Inside, a three-bay south arcade leads to the chancel; part of this arcade dates to the 14th and 15th centuries, featuring double-chamfered arches and octagonal piers. A Perpendicular double-chamfered arch with half-octagonal responds connects the chancel aisle to the south aisle of the nave. There are five-bay nave arcades with octagonal piers. The chancel roof, likely by Butterfield, features timber boards with plate tracery and stencil decoration. A red and grey marble font, also probably by Butterfield, is present. The pulpit, dating from approximately 1880, is made of grey and pink marble. Mosaic depictions of saints flank the altar, dating from approximately 1880.

A 14th-century stone effigy of a knight in a cross-legged position, with a rosette between his feet, is said to depict a member of the de Ros family, who were lords of the manor from the 12th to the 16th centuries. A weathered circular Romanesque font with traces of cable moulding is also present. Fragments of a 14th-century churchyard cross show badly eroded reliefs of the crucifixion, with figures of a priest and a warrior. Stained glass from 1849 by Wailes is located in the south aisle of the chancel, and stained glass from 1863 by Hughes is in the chancel. The chancel was redecorated in 1928, although it had been previously decorated under Butterfield’s supervision between 1874 and 1880; a reredos by Butterfield is thought to survive beneath the present panelling. The church’s rebuilding was funded by a national appeal led by the Rector, A.B. Clough, who referenced a rising population due to canal construction and the need for expanded religious instruction, particularly for those involved in inland navigation.