Description

HOLBEACH CHURCH STREET
TF 3424-3524 (east side)

15/59 Church of
All Saints
30.6.66
G.V. I

Parish church. c.1340-c.1380, c. 1400, early C15, early C18,
restored 1867. Limestone ashlar, some limestone rubble. Lead
roofs with stone coped east gable with cross finial. West tower
with spire, nave with north and south aisles and north and south
porches, chancel. 2 stage west tower of c.1340 remodelled in
early C15 with moulded plinth with multi-stage buttresses; stair
turret in south-west buttress, with pointed doorway with plank
door and 6 slit lights. Shallow gabled west porch with pointed
inner and outer doorways, slender flanking shafts, cusped
panelled vault, hood mould with head label stops and plank door.
Pointed C15 west window above with 5 pointed lights, unusual
panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Similar larger
windows on north and south sides. Clock above on south side.
Small pointed, cusped window on north side. Bell openings on all
4 sides each with a pointed, richly moulded head, 2 ogee headed
lights, cusped tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Moulded
eaves above with projecting gargoyles and battlements. Recessed
broached octagonal spire with 4 tiers of ornate lucarnes on
alternating sides; finial. North aisle of c.1340 with moulded
plinth and regularly placed 2 stage buttresses. Pointed west
window with 3 ogee headed lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and
head label stops. C14 inscribed tomb slab below. North side
with single window to right of porch, and 3 windows to the left,
all with pointed heads, 3 ogee headed cusped lights, flowing
tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Similar window in east
end of aisle. Porch of c.1700, re-using C14 fragments possibly
from Moulton Castle. Flattened triangular headed doorway with
bold cusping, triple responds and hood mould; flanked by round,
battlemented turrets each with small, single, ogee headed cusped
lights. Single C18 semi-circular headed windows over the doorway
and on west side. Porch interior with flanking stone benches.
North-east corner doorway with ogee head, chamfered surround and
traceried plank door. Roll moulded doorway above, originally
giving access to a parvise, the floor of which is now gone,
leaving only the corbels. C14 inner doorway of porch with richly
moulded pointed head, slender jambs with crenellated capitals,
hood mould, head label stops and plank door. Blocked triangular
opening above. Moulded eaves run along north aisle with
grotesque heads and battlements. Clerestory of c.1380 with 14
pointed windows, each with 2 ogee headed lights and hood mould.
Moulded eaves and battlements above. East gable with gabled
bellcote with pointed opening. North side of chancel with 4
stage buttresses with ornate gablets. Large pointed window to
the west with 3 pointed, cusped lights, flowing tracery and hood
mould. Smaller pointed window to east, with 2 pointed lights
which flank a single ogee headed light, flowing tracery and hood
mould. East end with a large pointed window with 3 pointed,
cusped lights, flowing tracery and hood mould. South side of
chancel with a pointed window to the east, with 2 pointed, cusped
lights flanking a single ogee headed light; flowing tracery,
hood mould and head label stops. Pedimented monument to left
with ornate eared architrace and urn, to John March, died 1736.
Doorway to the left with a pointed head, continuously moulded
surrounds, hood mould, head label stops and plank door. A
window, similar to the other south chancel window, to the left.
South aisle of nave of c.1340 with pointed east window, with
single pointed lights flanking an ogee headed light, flowing
tracery, hood mould and head label stops. South side with
regularly placed 2 stage buttresses with ornate gablets which
alternate with 5 pointed windows, each with 3 ogee headed lights,
flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Gabled C14
porch to left with very tall south doorway rising up into the
gable, with pointed, moulded head, triple filleted jambs, hood
mould and head label stops. Tall gabled bellcote with pointed
bell opening. Porch interior with flanking stone benches; south
doorway with pointed moulded head, slender responds, hood mould
and head label stops. C14 door with reticulated tracery.
Niche above doorway with damaged head and inner rib vaulting.
Pointed window to west of porch and in west end of south aisle,
both with 3 ogee headed lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and
head label stops. Clerestory identical to that on the north
side. Interior tower arch of c.1330, with pointed head of 3
filleted orders and continuously roll and hollow moulded
responds. Tower with tierceron-star vault and central oculus. 7
bay north and south arcades of c.1350 with pointed heads of 2
moulded orders with broad fillets; quatrefoil piers and triple
responds with continuous roll and hollow mouldings with broad
fillets and polygonal capitals. North aisle with shallow
pointed, chamfered tomb niche with plain triangular stops.
Moulded sill band runs round nave aisles. Chancel arch of c.1360
with pointed head, continuously moulded surround and hood mould.
to south is a small doorway originally leading to rood loft, with
panelled door. Chancel with blocked south doorway with four
centred head and continuously moulded surround. Ornate C19
sedilia and piscina in a C14 style. Ornate C19 reredos. C19
communion rail, choir stalls, lecturns, pews, pulpit and roofs,
the nave roof supported on C14 stone corbel heads. Mid C14
octagonal font with tall traceried pedestal and each side of the
bowl with crude figure holding emblem of the Passion. Table tomb
to Sir Humphrey Littlebury of Holbeach Hurn, died c.1380; clad
in full armour with his head resting on his mailed helm
containing sleeping head; lion at feet; sword and shield with
lions rampant. Tomb itself decorated by ornate ogee headed
cusped openings with shields in spandrels and with upper bands of
foliate motifs and grotesque heads. Early C15 brass to a knight
without a head. Brass to Joan Welby, died 1488, on a tomb chest.
Monuments include: white and grey marble with urn, festoons and
pediment to Jonathon Watson, died 1773; grey marble with coat of
arms in cartouche to Adlard Squire Stukely, died 1768; cream
marble to Sarah Stukely, died 1730; stone cartouche, name
illegible, died 1761; marble by Henson of Spalding, with moulded
architrave and pile of books on entablature, to Philip Ashley,
died 1794; stone with broken pediment with urn and ornate apron,
to Sigismund Richardson, died 1747; black and white marble with
pediment, fluted doric pilasters, apron with cherubs, cartouche,
to Samuel Richardson, died 1736; 2 ornate early C18 marble
monuments with ionic pilasters, broken segmental pediment,
cartouche, crests, cherubs, names and exact dates illegible;
white marble cartouches to Jane Davey, died 1755; white and
orange-grey streaked marble to Elizabeth Watson, died 1768;
white marble with fluted corinthian pilasters, cherubs an apron,
cartouche, to James Breckenock, died 1740. Plus several early
C19 monuments of various designs. 2 illegible C17 gravestones
and several C18 and C19 gravestones.

Listing NGR: TF3590824792

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17531045

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)