Charles O'Brien and
Nikolaus Pevsner, in the 2014 revised edition of
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough in the
Pevsner Buildings of England series, describe All Saints as "a stately church". The style of the building is mainly
Perpendicular (or Rectilinear) Gothic, with some early Curvilinear elements such as the east window in the south aisle. It consists of a
chancel, a
nave of five bays and
clerestory,
side aisles, south porch, and tower. On the outside All Saints’ is characterized by its flint and
Totternhoe stone checker work, the battlements, and the stone grotesques which adorn the walls. Battlements were added to the chancel in the 19th century whilst it was being extensively renovated by
George Somers Clarke. having been constructed well before the present building was even begun. The font is one of a number of fonts known collectively as the 'Aylesbury Group' after a particularly fine example in the parish church at
Aylesbury. It is made of Totternhoe stone, and its elaborate carvings and cable moulding are particularly good. The lid is made out of reclaimed timber from Houghton Hall.
Sir Stephen Glynne, writing before 1840, described it in his Church Notes, as
"remarkably fine" and
"very richly sculptured throughout".
Sewell tomb and south aisle chantry In the south aisle wall is a tomb with the effigy of a knight at with a lion at his feet. This is reputedly the tomb of John de Sewell who accompanied the
Black Prince to
Aquitaine in 1366 in the retinue of Hugh, Earl of Stafford. It is carved with
quatrefoils framing heraldic shields displaying a
chevron and three butterflies or stylised bees the Sewell Arms. Under the tomb are carvings representing the same coat of arms. A medieval
piscina and decorated ceiling above the east end of the aisle indicate that an altar stood nearby. And indeed, this area of the church may have been a
chantry chapel for John de Sewell and his family.
Nave ceiling The nave ceiling dates to latter part of the 14th century (or the beginning of the 15th); it is a simple but elegant example of Rectilinear gothic architecture. It is supported by stone
corbels in the shape of animals and mythical creatures, and it is decorated with carved oak figures of monks bearing shields or coat of arms. These figures are visible reminders of the connection between All Saints’ and the St Albans’ Abbey. To the east end of the nave, the ceiling is more elaborately decorated, with bosses and vine leaf motifs, then the rest of the ceiling, providing a “canopy of honour” for the Cross (or Rood), and marking the original position of the
Rood Screen.
Chancel The chancel, Rectilinear in style, was partly rebuilt in the 19th century, under the direction of
Somers Clarke, after many decades of neglect. At that time the chancel arch was reopened. The restoration also preserved many other original features, such as the medieval wall safes. The altar rail, made from the reclaimed staircase banister of Houghton Hall, divides the chancel in two areas: choir and sanctuary. The floor is mostly paved with the stone monuments to members of the Brandreth family, save for the chequered marble flooring around the altar and, most notably, two brasses. These bear the effigy of two priests connected to All Saints'; the larger one is of William Walley, 15th century vicar of All Saints', the smaller of John Walley (a relative, of William Walley).
High altar triptych The
high altar triptych was gifted to All Saints’ in memory of Fr Colin Gay
SSC, Honorary Assistant Priest from 2002 to 2015 and dedicated by the Rt Revd
Norman Banks,
Bishop of Richborough, on 26 June 2023. The central panel measures 210 cm by 131 cm, and the side panels 105 cm by 131 cm. It can be closed during Lent and Passiontide remaining at 210 cm in width. It depicts
Christ in glory with the
Blessed Virgin Mary and
St John the Evangelist in the central panel,
St George the Martyr and
St John the Baptist in the right section,
St Wilfrid and
St Theodore of Amasea in the left panel. The piece was painted by Nechita Laurentiu, a Romanian icon writer, using gold leaf. The artist has worked for the
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and he has a number of pieces displayed in UK church (e.g. the “
Frank Weston altar” at
St Matthew's Willesden). The triptych was originally commissioned in 2007 for
Preston Minster by the vicar, Fr Timothy Lipscomb, and the PCC. It was placed above the High Altar, encased between the back riddel posts. However, it was sold off in 2020 to a church furniture dealer, where it was purchased by a parishioner of All Saints'.
Stained glass Above the vicinity of the Sewell tomb, in the
Lady Chapel, and in the tower there are rather good examples of
Victorian stained glass by Thomas Baillie. The west end window was unveiled in 1891 to commemorate the Revd Hugh Blagg Smyth, and it depicts the
Resurrection of Jesus, the
Baptism of the Lord, and the
Institution of the Eucharist. The two windows in the Lady chapel commemorate Smyth's daughter Minna and his wife, dating from 1864. The one above the Sewell tomb commemorates George Marshall, churchwarden.
Pipe organ The
organ is two manual and pedal instrument, dates from approximately 1880 and 1914. It was originally believed to have been built by Nicholson and Lord of Walsall. However, in 2021 during cleaning and refurbishment works by Pipe Organ Services it was discovered that the organ was originally built by C. M. Walker of London and only later rebuilt by Nicholson and Lord of Walsall. Several additional stops (including the full-length Conacher trumpet) were installed by Kenneth Breedon of Bletchley in 1992. == Known Restorations and Works to the Fabric ==