Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is an Anglican parish church, largely dating to the 15th century, with some 19th-century restoration. It is constructed of local lias stone with Ham stone dressings, and has plain clay tile roofs with scallop tile bands to the chancel and porch gables. The church’s design is based on a two-cell plan, comprising a two-bay chancel and a three-bay nave, together with a west tower and a south porch.

The chancel features a moulded double plinth, angled corner buttresses, and a cross finial to its east gable. A 3-light, traceried window is set within a shallow hollowed recess in the east wall, topped with a pointed arched label and headstops. Matching 2-light windows are on the north and south sides, with all but the south-west window having external ferramenta. A 4-centre arched doorway with floriated spandrils, a square label with headstops, is located between the south windows. The nave has a chamfered plinth, bay buttresses, a string course with gargoyles, and a battlemented parapet, with 3-light windows matching those in the chancel.

The south porch has a coped gable with a cross finial and a wide, almost triangular-arched doorway with quatrefoil spandrils and a square label with headstops. Inside the porch, a simpler moulded doorway leads to the church, along with an original door. The two-stage tower has angled corner buttresses to its lower stage, a plinth, string course, and a plain low parapet with a pyramidal roof. The lower stage is plain on the north and south sides, but the west side features a moulded pointed-arched doorway without a label, above which is a plainer 2-light window, possibly dating to the 14th century, also without a label. The upper stage has a single trefoil cusped light with incised spandrils on all faces, with no labels.

Inside the chancel, the roof consists of king-post trusses with traceried infill panels, all members including rafters and purlins moulded, as well as a decorative eaves band. Drops to the trusses are supported on angel-carved corbels, all original features with some 19th-century restoration. There is a 19th-century reredos and choirstalls, but also a complete 15th-century screen, potentially relocated. The moulded chancel arch is possibly from the 14th century and an Early 17th-century altar table remains.

The nave has a shallow ribbed and panelled roof, likely 19th century, and a small, plain tower arch. An elaborately carved pulpit from 1625 is set into a 4-centre arched recess in the north wall, accompanied by a low screen of verger’s desk and back panelling. A plain octagonal font and carved bench ends with poppyheads to medieval benches are also present, along with a good early 20th-century timber screen to the tower. All nave windows have internal ferramenta, and a considerable amount of medieval stained glass is found in the north windows, including a large depiction of St Mary Magdalene. Good 19th-century stained glass is in the south chancel windows, one dated 1859 and the other 1898. A memorial tablet over the south door commemorates John Thring, who died in 1830. The earliest recorded rector was in 1329.