SK4823 : Church of All Saints, Long Whatton
taken 6 years ago, near to Long Whatton, Leicestershire, England
From the outside the church is largely the product of Victorian rebuilding, although it has its origins in at least the 13th century. The lower stages of the tower date from around 1200 and are Norman in style.
The development of the church is unclear. The tower stands where a south transept would be in relation to the current church. And now closes off the south aisle. There are lancets in the tower facing into the aisle and it is considered that the original nave would have been in the normal place to the east of the tower.
The current nave and aisles are 14th century, the north aisle arcade dating from the early part of the century and the south arcade being late 14th century.
An additional stage was added to the tower in the 15th-16th century.
The chancel was truncated and rebuilt in 1826, followed by a major rebuilding in 1865-6. The roofs were completely renewed with a very steep pitch, the nave incorporating dormer clerestory windows. At this time the windows were also completely rebuilt, in Decorated style, probably not following the original designs.
A vestry was added to the south of the chancel in the late 19th century.
The interior of the church is relatively unexceptional. Of interest are the chancel screen of the late 15th-early 16th century, brought in 1894 from the abandoned church at Colston Bassett Link . A screen partly of similar date encloses the east end of the north aisle to form the Crawshaw chapel, and at the west end of the aisle a screen of 1929 forms the baptistery. The font is restored 12th century with a 20th century wooden cover.
The pulpit is early Jacobean, dated to 1613, and is another import, this time from Shefford in Berkshire in 1897.
Monuments of note include the remains of the 16th century alabaster tomb slab of Robert Whatton of Whatton House (d.1577), and the marble urn commemorating Mary Dawson (d.1779) with added inscriptions covering other subsequent deaths. The Dawson family owned Whatton House at that period.
The church is Listed Grade II*.