Church of All Saints, Brentwood, Essex

Description

BRENTWOOD

TQ69SW CHURCH LANE, Hutton
723-1/9/192 (South side)
21/10/58 Church of All Saints

II*

Church. Early C14, C17. Largely rebuilt in 1873 by GE Street.
Walls of split flint with C14 clunch and C19 oolitic limestone
dressings. Roofs both peg and clay tiles. Plan, rectangular
aisled nave with smaller rectangular chancel, having organ
chamber and chapel projecting N and S beyond nave aisles. Also
meeting room, atttached to S chapel on S side. A small
timber-framed belfry rises from the roof at the W end.
EXTERIOR: N elevation, W-E, diagonal buttress to corner, C19
2-light window under square head with hood mould. Each light
has a round head with enclosed ogee tracery, all cusped.
Above, small belfry has 5 angled louvre boards framed round
whole structure with weatherboarding below, small shingled
octagonal spire swept out at base to belfry width. Principal
doorway, C14 with 2-centred arch head, moulded jambs and label
with head stops, one C14, defaced by weathering and one C19.
Door, C19 with chamfered counter stepped joints between boards
and decorative iron strap hinges, all in a style derived from
Romanesque door construction. Timber-framed porch in front on
flint dwarf walls - 4 lights to each side with ogee traceried
heads - only some of these heads are original C14 work, all
the rest of the porch is C19, having cambered tie-beams,
4-centred arched bracing and decorative barge boards.
Buttress. Window similar to one at W end. Chancel, all C19
work with end buttresses, half height string course and
central priest's doorway, round headed tympanum with trefoiled
door head, door similar to N door of nave. Each side of
doorway is a small quatrefoiled light set within T-shaped
stone surround. Above, 2 round stone chimney shafts rise from
roof pitch. E end of chancel inset with double string courses
and diagonal buttress. S elevation, nave similar to N
elevation but with no doorway. Chancel W end has projecting
meeting room with roof set N-S abutting chancel chapel. Simple
large 5-light mullioned rectangular window with small leaded
panes and small lean-to projection on W side. Chancel recesses
(as on N elevation) with window having 2 trefoiled lights with
upper tracery quatrefoil within 2-centred arched label,
diagonal buttress. E end elevation, gable of nave and aisles
with diagonal corner buttresses, single central 2-light window
under lancet head with hood mould, cusped elaborated ogee
tracery - belfry as on N elevation, behind, to N,
timber-framed door porch, to S, chancel chapel and meeting
room with central door similar to those on N elevation, with,
to N, 2-light window with ogee head, to S plain casement
window with leaded panes. E elevation, central window, triple
lights, 2-centred arched with male and female head stopped
label. Tracery of geometrical style, string course at window
base and diagonal corner buttresses. N and S chancel aisles
each have a double lancet window with trefoil headed lights.
To S plain side wall of meeting room with string course and
angle buttress.
INTERIOR: nave of 3 bays, clunch, quatrefoil C14 piers with
moulded capitals and bases. Arcade arches, 2 centred with wave
and chamfered moulding with slight hollow. Chancel arch
similar. Nave roof of 2 bays (not aligned with arcade below)
abutting tower frame at W end. Roof has crown posts of square
section with fillet on each face that merge with well carved
braces to collar purlin and soulaces. Ashlar pieces are set
above moulded cornices. Central tie-beam carrying 4-way braced
crown post is also decorated with cyma, return, hollow chamfer
mouldings. Tower frame of 6 slender posts of approx 0.22 x
0.27m. 2 lines of 3 set on sole plates are aligned E-W within
W arcade bay, much repaired, plates renewed. Upper X-bracing
to sides. Posts are early C17 with lamb's tongue chamfer stops
with characteristic decoration of extra nick beyond stop.
X-bracing rather irregular and posts exhibit some waney edges
on outer faces. E face has two 2-centred arched braces to
tie-beam above. Rear braced queen posts support collar that
now supports the earlier collar purlin (a reversal of correct
assembly of collar to purlin of crown post systems). The
extant belfry tower appears to have been inserted into an
earlier system. Side aisle roofs have moulded cornices and
ashlar pieces (probably copied from nave). N door has inner
glazed C19 door porch. W window and E windows of aisles, N and
S, have stained glass. C19 chancel, 2 bays, open on S side to
chapel with central octagonal pier and arcade arches wave
moulded with scroll moulded label with head stops. To E,
double sedilia with trefoiled lancet heads, ogee cinquefoil
headed piscina, drain set to front on attached pier. Chancel N
side, arched recess for organ, to E, priest's door has
2-centred head with roll mouldings, scroll moulded label.
Organ chamber and S chapel both have archways to the nave with
heads similar and copied from nave arcade. Stained glass of
Crucifixion in E window. Oak screen between S chapel and
meeting room with open cusped lancets and lower panelling also
door. 2 altar rails, wooden with wrought-iron scroll work
supports, painted red and gold. Pulpit simple 3-cant, of open
ironwork - slender round shafts with cinquefoil headed panels,
sheet metal castellated lower band, painted red and gold on
stone base. Font cylindrical, limestone bowl with large fossil
crinoids, 4 inlaid white marble crosses, 4 column support from
inscribed base. 5 bells, 2 inscribed, one of 1655 and one of
1637 (matching C17 belfry frame). Brasses (1) in S chapel on S
wall, man in plate armour with woman in gabled head-dress, 8
sons and 8 daughters, early C16. (2) on W wall, inscription
only to George White, 1584. Monument in S aisle on W wall to
Thomas Cory, 1656 and Judith (Clitherow), his wife 1663.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Essex: 1965-: 246; RCHM:
SE Essex: 77).

Listing NGR: TQ6352194340

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Church of All Saints

A Grade II* Listed Building in Brentwood, Essex

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