Church of All Saints

Details

719/19/429

RETTENDON
MAIN ROAD
CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

10.4.1967

I
Church, built between C13-C15.

EXTERIOR: Fine ragstone west tower, with a castellated parapet, diagonal buttresses and an octagonal stair turret on the south-east. It stands on high ground and the tower forms a conspicuous landmark for a wide area. The earliest feature is the south doorway of circa l200, later in the century the chancel was rebuilt. The north aisle and arcade, north chapel, north vestry or Priest's house and the west tower are of the C15. The roof is tiled, renewed in the C20.

INTERIOR: The north vestry is two storeys and has a late C15 doorway to the chancel. The fittings include a C13 piscina and sedilia in the chancel, some poppy head bench ends decorated with a dog, lion, bear and monkey and a very fine C18 marble wall monument filling the entire east wall of the north chapel. It is to Edmund Humfrey dated 1727 and comprises triple arches with figures, the arches have fluted Corinthian columns and a central open semi-circular pediment with enrichments. It is by Samuel Chandler and is one of the finest church monuments of its date. There are brasses; one of a civilian, two wives and children (circa 1535), another to Richard Cannon of 1605 and one to Richard Humfrie of 1607.

HISTORY: Rettendon is a dispersed rural settlement to the southeast of Chelmsford and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Similar to many rural villages it has an unremarkable history, and the church and the Grade II listed Rettendon Old Hall, some 500m to the north, are the most significant historic buildings in the immediate area. The nave and chancel are C13 in date, the west tower, north aisle, arcade and vestry being added in the C15. The church was restored in 1898, when the roof was replaced; most of the church furniture dates to this campaign. However, the finials in the choir stalls and the backs of some of the choir benches appear to be C15 carving and it is conjectured that they may have formed part of an earlier rood screen. The tower was refurbished in the early C20 and again in the later C20. More recently, a kitchen area has been created at the west end of the north aisle, and disabled toilet facilities in the base of the tower.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: All Saints church of is a fine example of a modest English rural parish church with a high survival of medieval fabric, including the tower and priests chamber. The church possesses many important interior medieval features, including the sedilia, piscina and medieval carvings. Considerable additional interest is found in the marble Humfrey Monument of 1727, which is an outstanding example of early C18 sculpture by Samuel Chandler.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

426338

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
An Inventory of Essex South East, (1923)

End of official list entry

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