Church of All Saints

Summary

A church of 1884-5, designed by Henry Stone.

Reasons for Designation

All Saints' Church in East Hanningfield is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: it is a building of distinction and achievement in its treatment, use of materials and execution. The design of the distinctive timber spire incorporates arched braces typical of the local vernacular tradition;
* Intactness: the building is largely intact;
* Interior: the interior is modest, but the detail of the chancel arch, nave roof and completeness of the contemporary ensemble of fixtures and fittings overall contribute to the architectural interest of the church.

History

The first church known to exist in East Hanningfield was built in the C7 and is believed to be on the same site as the replacement C13 church, next to the site of the manor at East Hanningfield Hall. The record of incumbents commences in 1248. In 1883, the nave and tower were burnt down; the chancel was used as a mortuary chapel until the 1960s when it was declared unsafe and demolished. The replacement church cost £3500, built on a site central to the village donated by retired wool merchant, Elijah Slater. The architect was Henry Stone and the builder was William Wood, both from London. Molten metal retrieved from the site of the old church was collected by local school children and used to make the new bells which were cast by Mears and Stainbank at their London Bell Foundry. Building work commenced in 1884 and the Church was consecrated by the Bishop of St Albans in June 1885. The east-end window is a memorial of 1898 to John Charles Hardy; the original east end windows being moved to the west end. The spire shingles were replaced firstly in 1949 and again in 1996.
Henry Stone restored two listed churches, both in Essex; the Church of St Michael in Kirby-le-Soken (listed at Grade II*) and the Church of St Catherine in Wickford (listed at Grade II) which retain medieval fabric. Stone also designed the Church Of All Saints in Walton between 1873-82, which is listed at Grade II.

Details

MATERIALS: the main materials are London Stock brick faced with Kentish rag and Carr stone, with Bath stone dressings, occasional brick, tiles and flint panels with tiled coverings to the roof. The short belfry and spire at the west end are constructed from timber with shingles covering the spire.

PLAN: a simple plan comprising a nave accessed through a south porch, with two transepts and a chancel to the east, a vestry to the north and a belfry surmounted by a splay-foot spire at the west end.

EXTERIOR: the gable roofs have cresting and stone, cross finials to the nave and chancel. The elevational treatment is uniform, comprising randomly coursed, roughly finished stone interspersed with string courses and occasional flint panels. The window and door openings, and the staged, diagonal and set back buttresses, have ashlar stone dressings. At the apex of the gabled roofs are stone and flint panels with central, trefoiled apertures. There are two, pointed-arch lancet windows at the west end and a three-light, pointed-arch window at the east end, each light with a cusped, ogee head and two cusped roundels flanking the central light. Other windows in the nave are single or pairs of lancets with ogee heads; the transept windows have pointed-arch heads and two lights with cusped heads and a trefoiled opening above. The staged belfry has exposed timber framing with arched braces and decorative foils, and is topped by a splay-foot spire.

INTERIOR: the nave has a crown-post roof with arched braces, resting on stone corbels; the chancel roof is scissor-braced. The moulded, pointed, belfry arch rests on corbels with foliate carving. The chancel arch has a similar form, but rests on a group of three pilasters with moulded capitals. The inner rib of the arch has carved detailing. The arch has a hood mould which terminates in bosses sculpted with the heads of a king and queen on either side. The chancel rail is of moulded stone with foiled openings and a deeply carved handrail. Quarry tiles cover the nave and transepts floors, but the chancel has an encaustic tiled floor. The choir stalls are simply carved with ogee and foil openings to the rails. Behind the altar is an ornate reredos of five niches with ogee heads divided by columns. Each niche has a carved quatrefoil with a relief; the central panel depicts the Lamb of God. Above the reredos are the following carved words, 'Ye do shew the Lord's death till He come'. On the north side of the chancel is an aumbry and on the south side to the rear of the choir is the organ with polychromatised pipes bearing a plaque with the date 1936 and stating that the builders were Bevington and Sons.

All of the interior fixtures and fittings are contemporary with the church. The pews are simply carved without decoration. The font and pulpit are crisply carved, the latter with ogee and quatrefoil motifs and carved figures. Most of the windows are plain with stained glass borders. Four of the windows are by A.O. Hemming. There are memorial windows of 1898 and 1901 toward the transepts. The two lancet windows at the west end (originally part of the original East end window) feature medallions of the four Evangelists' symbols: St Matthew (angel); St. Mark (lion); St. John (ox) and St. Luke (eagle). The east window of 1898 depicts the Crucifixion scene with figures of Christ on the cross, his mother Mary (unusually shown wearing a wedding ring), Mary Cleophas, Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross, St.John and the Centurion. On the north and south walls of the chancel are single lancets showing the Christ with the words 'I am the True Vine' and 'I am the Bread of Life'. At the south transept is a stained glass window showing the Annunciation, a gift of the parishioners to mark Queen Victoria's death in1901. On the north transept the window depicts the Parable of the Sower and was given in memory of M. Sacre, a brother of a former Rector.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 03/10/2012

Sources

Books and journals
Bettley, J, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Essex, (2007)

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