Church of All Saints (Church of England)

Details

TRING RURAL STATION ROAD SP 8915 (East side) Long Marston 8/139 Church of All Saints - ( C of E) - II Parish church. 1882-3 by Carpenter & Ingelow, site given by Sir Nathaniel Mayer de Rothschild, porch with vestry at W added 1907-8 by William Huckvale in place of intended tower, 6 buttresses added on S, and E wall reconstructed (tablet in porch). Many features dating from C12 to C17 built into church removed from old church of All Saints (q.v.), and from elsewhere. Flint, knapped uncoursed facing with Bath stone dressings and steep machine-made red tile roofs. A tall 5-bays church in Dec style, without structurally separate chancel, set back from road in older graveyard, with continuous N aisle under roof and low twin-gabled porch-with-vestry at W end. Reticulated tracery to 3 large 3-light windows on S side at W part and small 2-light similar window to E bay, all with hoodmoulds. Small pointed S door with chamfered jambs, plank door, hoodmould, and gabled tiled bellcote and bell over, bracketed out below eaves level. Elaborate entrance into S side of W porch in Dec style with moulded arches and jamb shafts, 2 steps to double doors with decorative hinge plates. Diagonal buttresses to E end, fine 5-light pointed E window with reticulated tracery, and cross as finial to gable parapet. Wheel-cross finial to W gable over 3-light segmental-headed traceried W window with separate quatrefoil in circle over. 2-light traceried pointed window to each gable of lower W block. Moulded string course at sill level of E window, and added buttresses each have chamfered plinth and moulded base. E end of N aisle set back with 3-light traceried C19 window but other windows in aisle are re-used medieval features, and there is the round head of a small Romansque window set in the N wall next N door. Spacious interior with continuous boarded waggon roof with moulded battens, tie-beam and king-post trusses with semi-circular bracing to collar, and small braces below on stone corbels. Trusses rebuilt 1907 after movement in S wall. Chancel marked off from 3-bays nave by heavy C15 tie-beam with massive cusped curved braces and traceried spandrels, brought from Weston Turville old rectory in 1883 then being pulled down on advice of Sir Gilbert Scott. Similar cusping on arched wind-braces to 2 E bays of N aisle, the framing of which is also from the same source (Vincent(1983)7). Tall 5-bays N arcade has arches and caps of 1883 carried on elaborate shafted C15 clunch piers and bases from the parish church at Tring (q.v.) then under repair by the same architects. The nave and chancel of the old church of All Saints Long Marston were carefully demolished in 1883 and among the many features transfered to the new church were: C14 octagonal stone font with bowl cut back; C14 trefoil piscina with shelf in S wall of chancel; C15 trefoil piscina in E part of N aisle; early C17 hexagonal pulpit with 2 tiers of carved panels; C15 traceried oak screen with central opening enclosing E end of N aisle; C18 former altar rails now at chancel steps; C17 oak altar table in N aisle; 2 C17 oak chests; bell dated 1800 in bellcote; framed and painted benefactions board over S door; organ bought from Tring church in 1863; C13 recess in N wall of chancel with pointed arch and dog-tooth ornament; C14 arch and moulded label to S door; wide segmental pointed arched recess in E part of N aisle with C12 architectural fragments built in; N doorway possibly C14; 2-light lancet N window parts of which c.1230; a wide round arched recess in N aisle of late C12 work with roll moulding between bands of dog-tooth to arch carried on small shafts with scalloped caps and square abaci, and drain in base; 2 2-light C14 N windows with trefoil lights and quatrefoil over (one window has square recess in splay); similar but smaller window in W wall of N aisle much renewed. The tabernacled stone reredos came in 1884 from St. Andrews, Wells Street, London and 5 painted figures were installed in 1933 designed by Sir Albert Richardson. Minton encaustic tiled pavement in chancel. Free-standing polygonal 2-coloured brick chimney 1935 by Richardson. The alter cross and candlesticks and 2 houseling benches designed by Sir Ninian Comper 1945. (VCH(1908) 291-2: RCHM(1911) 223 no. 3: Pevsner(1977)245: Vincent (1983)).

Listing NGR: SP8947815837

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

355776

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Doubleday, AH, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1908), 291-2
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 245

Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)

End of official list entry

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