Church of All Saints

Details

SJ 5024-5124 CLIVE C.P. CHURCH ROAD (east side)

13/17 Church of All 28.10.60 Saints

GV II*

Parish church. Circa 1190, restored in 1849. Largely rebuilt and enlarged in 1885-7 by Charles J. Ferguson of Carlisle at the expense of Mr J.J. Bibby and Mr T. Meares with the tower,spire and baptistery added in 1892-4, also by Ferguson, at the expense of J. J. Bibby and in memory of his wife. Dressed and ashlar (C19) red and grey Grinshill sandstone. Plain tile roofs. Nave (incorporating C12 north and south walls) with north porch, chancel with north vestry, and west tower with spire. C19 additions in a Late Decorated style. Tower: 3 stages. Chamfered plinth, chamfered offsets, gabled angle buttresses with chamfered offsets, octagonal stair turret to south-west, pierced parapet, and crocketed corner pinnacles with flying buttresses to spire. Broach spire with 2-light lucarnes on cardinal faces, smaller lucarnes higher up on alternate faces, and finial with cross. Paired louvred belfry openings, each of 2 cusped lights with 2 orders of shafts and hoodmoulds with carved stops. 2- light second-stage windows to north, south and west with hoodmoulds. 3-light first stage west window with mullions continuing straight up through tracery to arch, and hoodmould with carved stops. South doorway with moulded four-centred arch and panelled doors. South porch has Tudor-arched entrance with carved spandrels, blind 2-light window to left, rectangular window to right, carved cornice, parapet with traceried panels, and wrought-iron gates to interior with traceried-panelled vault inscribed "RING IN THE TRUE" and "RING OUT THE FALSE". Door to stair turret above porch. Nail-studded boarded north door to basement. Nave: chamfered plinth to north, C14 and C19 buttresses, coved cornice, and parapeted gable end to east with cross at apex. South side: 3 restored C14 windows each with 2 trefoiled lights, chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds with carved stops. C19 cinquefoil-headed lancet to left with hoodmould. Blocked C17 round-arched doorway off-centre to left with chamfered reveals and hoodmould with carved head at apex. North side central pair of restored probably C14 straight-headed windows each with 2 cinquefoil- headed lights; C19 cinquefoil-headed lancet's to left and right with hoodmoulds. C12 round-arched doorway off-centre to right with dogtooth decoration, chamfered imposts, and one order of shafts with moulded bases and stiff-leaf capitals; late C19 porch with chamfered plinth, angle buttreses with offsets, parapeted gable with gabled kneelers and cross at apex; moulded arch with carved decoration, one order of shafts with moulded and carved capitals, hoodmould with carved stops, and pair of slatted doors with strap hinges and chamfered reveals. Interior of porch has stone bench to left with traceried panel behind. Chancel: chamfered plinth, coved cornice and parapeted gable end to east with cross at apex. South side: central buttress, lancet to left with cinquefoil - head and hoodmould and large window to right with 3 cinquefoil-headed lights and hoodmould with carved stops. Short piece of retaining wall adjoining to right. East end: chamfered string course below cill. Large window with 3 trefoiled ogee-headed lights, flowing cusped tracery, moulded reveals and hoodmould with carved stops. Vestry to north: 2 parapeted gables to front and integral lateral stone stack to left with pair of octagonal shafts. Window in left-hand block with 3 trefoiled ogee-headed lights; right-hand block with blind cusped quatrefoil in apex of gable, first-floor 2-light square-headed window to right and boarded door to left with strap hinges and four-centred chamfered arch. Wall projection at right angles to left over entrance to crypt (?) and returning as retaining wall. Interior: sumptuous late C19 fixtures and fittings. 5-bay nave roof and 2-bay chancel roof with intermediate trusses; arch-braced collar trusses resting on hammer beams with pierced spandrels, carved wooden angels, moulded brackets and stone corbels; panelled frieze. Tower arch with 2 continuous outer mouldings and half-octagonal inner shafts with moulded bases and carved capitals, and supporting moulded arch. Baptistery beneath tower has stone lierne vault springing from carved angels at corners labelled "Pietas", "Charitas", "Spes" and "Fides" with carved bosses and central circular panel; south doorway with carved wooden surround and Lombardic frieze above with carved drops; recessed window seat to west and string course to north with carved stops. Chancel arch with continuous outer moulding,and triple round inner shafts with moulded bases and carved capitals and supporting moulded arch. Pair of arches in north wall of chancel, left-hand one containing organ and right-hand one to vestry; central octagonal pier with moulded base and capital, and moulded arches. East window with moulded rear arch, nook shafts with moulded bases and carved capitals, and hoodmould with carved stops. Rich furnishings including, in chancel: wooden reredos with alabaster copy of Leonardo de Vinci's Last Supper, panelled altar with marble top, sanctuary panelling, recessed sedile with traceried back panel and canopy, and brass and wooden altar rails. Elaborate wooden screens to organ chamber and vestry, 2 sets of elaborately panelled and carved choir stalls with poppy heads (some resembling upturned Ionic volutes), integral wooden and stone pulpit, and free-standing carved wooden lectern. Nave contains pews with traceried end panels (and incorporating elaborate wrought-iron donation boxes in rear of those near north door), wainscot panelling,and brass oil lamps suspended from ceiling (now electric). Baptistery has octagonal stone font (said to be a copy of that in the parish church of Dewsbury, Yorks.) with wrought-iron canopy suspended from ceiling boss, and wooden benches on 3 sides with turned baluster legs and backs. Ogee-arched piscina in vestry. Memorial beneath tower inscribed: "TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF SARAH BIBBY BORN 28 DEC 1817 DIED 19 MAY/1892 THIS TOWER AND SPIRE ARE DEDICATED BY HER HUSBAND JAMES JENKINSON BIBBY". The vestry contains two drawings by Ferguson of the tower and spire, signed and dated 1892. The 1885-7 work cost £5,000. J. J. Bibby (of the shipping family) lived at Sansaw (q.v.). The church stands in a prominent position on the slopes of Grinshill Hill. D.H.S. Cranage, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, Shrewsbury Churches, pp.854-5; B.O.E, p.101; Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire and Shropshire (1905), pp.69-70.

Listing NGR: SJ5147924028

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

260010

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, (1908), 854-5
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 101
Kellys Directory in Herefordshire and Shropshire, (1905), 69-70

End of official list entry

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