The parish church of ALL SAINTS consists of an apsidal chancel, nave with north and south aisles, and a west tower.
The structure was rebuilt, except the tower, about 1680 and is reminiscent of the plainer of the Wren churches in the City of London. The tower is an unusual example of a rebuilding in the 15th century on older foundations with the re-use of windows, &c., of the late 13th century.
The nave (about 48 ft. by 18½ ft.) has north and south arcades of four bays with round heads of square section with panelled soffits; the white-stone columns are cylindrical, with partly square-moulded capitals enriched with egg and dart and other ornament, and moulded bases on high plinths partly encased in wood. The chancel arch is of similar detail.
The semi-circular apse (about 12½ ft. diameter) has a wide round-headed single light in the middle, and there are similar windows at the ends of the aisles, and four each in the north and south walls. Under the westernmost north and south windows are the squareheaded doorways.
The walls are of light yellow ashlar with moulded plinths, and have plain parapets with pilasters dividing the long sides into bays corresponding with the arcades, &c., and crowned by carved urns.
The coved ceiling of the nave is plastered, the middle part being divided into panels with moulded ribs. The apse has radiating main ribs. The flat aisle-ceilings are plain. The roof over the nave is a high-pitched gable covered with stone tiles and with a stone cross at the apex of the east end.
The west tower (about 12 ft. east to west by 11 ft. inside) is of three stages with plain weather stringcourses. The walls are of deep yellow Cotswold stone ashlar and have at the west angles diagonal buttresses to the two lower stages and square buttresses projecting north and south at the east angles. The masonry of these buttresses of the 15th century courses in with the walling, whereas none of that of the earlier windows does so. There is no plinth, but the west wall, only, has a scroll-moulded string-course at plinth level, like that to the south wall of Halford church.
The archway in the east wall is of the late 13th century and of three chamfered orders, the head being sharply pointed and of small voussoirs. The outer order on the tower side, which is hollowed, dies on the tower walls. The archway is concealed on the nave side by the large monument described below. In the south wall is a doorway made when this blocking was done. In the west wall is a wide pointed light of the late 13th century with moulded jambs of two orders and a hoodmould with mask-stops. The lower part of the light is blocked.
The second stage has west, north, and south windows of one light with pointed heads, with weatherworn remains of foiling indicating that they were originally traceried. The bell-chamber has pointed late-13thcentury windows, the jambstones of which, like those below, all break joint with the wall-masonry. They are all of two lights, but the heads are varied. The eastern has cinquefoiled pointed heads and a quatrefoiled spandrel, the north and south have trefoiled heads and a foiled circle in the main head. The west has trefoil-headed lights with a trefoil over each and a plain spandrel in the main head. All the windows have hood-moulds with mask-stops.
The parapets are of the late 17th century or 18th century. They are plain, with moulded copings, and have intermediate and angle pilasters, above which the moulded copings break forward. Above the angles are square pinnacles with ogee hood-moulded gables and topped by panelled heads of obelisk form with foliage finials and arrow-vanes.
On the south face of the second stage above the window is the iron gnomon of a former sundial.
In the chancel are contemporary communion-rails with twisted and carved balusters, and two high-backed chairs. The quire-stalls have original pierced foliage panels in the upper parts and fielded panels below. There are two high pews of similar type at the west ends of the aisles but most of the other pews have been cut down from their original height; some retain the pierced foliage frieze-panels.
The organ is modern but has a re-used similar panel in its casing.
The hexagonal pulpit has sides with fielded panels; the angle-posts are carved with pendants of fruit and flowers and have carried brackets to support the bookrest. It was carried on a central post which is now reduced to a capital and base only.
The font has a moulded small bowl with reeded and gadrooned underside, a slender stem and a moulded base in which the bowl-ornament is repeated. It is of a fine-grained white Italian stone and probably imported.
The pavement in the apse is of Italian marbles, the chancel, in the front of it, of modern tiles, and the nave of hard grey stone slabs.
There is a large carved achievement of the Stuart Royal Arms on the west wall of the nave in the tympanum of the roof space.
Against the west wall of the nave is a large monument of white-veined marble to Sir Henry Parker, bart., who married Margaret Hyde and died 25 October 1713, and his son Hugh, who married Joan Smyth and died 2 February 1712(3). Their statues stand upon a pedestal engraved with the inscription and with lofty pilasters on either side supporting an architectural setting with a cornice on which are two shields of arms. On the wall to the south is a full achievement of arms.
There are 12 other later memorials to members of the Townsend family: the earliest is to Joseph Townsend, 1763, an ugly white marble monument with a large cherub, seated on a pedestal, a skull, books, and foliage, all in a square-headed recess.
A floor slab is to the Reverend Richard Bland, Vicar 1718(9).
There are six bells, the treble of 1810, the fourth of 1726, and the other four by Matthew Bagley, 1687.
The communion plate is silver gilt; it consists of a large cup with paten cover, and a tankard-shaped flagon, with an angel for thumb-piece, made in 1684 and given in 1686 by Sir Hugh Parker, bart., whose arms they bear; also a paten given at the same time by Barbara Hyde, and an alms plate of 1696.