Church of All Saints, Great Chesterford (EHER 25353)

A 13th century and later church which may have been built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon minster church. Summary from record 13890: The parish church of All Saints. Summary from record 13891: The parish church of All Saints.

February 1967. Grade I listed. A flint church with stone dressings of 13th century origin with 14th and 15th century alterations. Restored in the 19th century. The west tower was destroyed in the 14th-15th centuries and was rebuilt; it fell down in 1790 and was rebuilt in 1792. It is now faced in cement. The two western bays of the nave arcade and a lancet window in the chancel give evidence of the 13th century origin. The rest of the nave, the south aisle, the north chapel, the crossing and transepts are of the 14th-15th centuries. The south chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century and the roof of the south aisle is of this date too. <1> The parish church of All Saints. The earliest fabric dates from the 13th century. The Chancel is of early or mid-13th century date, and a little later the present nave was built, aisles were added and probably a west tower. The two western bays of the existing nave-arcades are of late 13th century date it was originally two bays longer than at present and had a crossing and transepts between it and the chancel. The west tower and the two westernmost bays of the nave fell or were destroyed probably late in the 14th or early in the 15th century; the west wall of the nave and tower were then rebuilt and the crossing was thrown into the nave; the north and south arches, formerly opening into the transepts, were underbuilt with two smaller arches and the chancel arch was rebuilt further east. At the same time the north and south aisles were rebuilt and widened and the north chapel and a south chapel added. Early in the 16th century the south chapel and part of the south aisle were pulled down and a large south chapel was built. The foundations of the two destroyed bays of the nave and the former west tower have been discovered extending west of the present church. In the 18th century the tower fell and was rebuilt in 1790. The whole of the fabric of the tower is post-medieval or modern except the capitals and bases of the tower-arch which are 13th century and probably re-used material from the destroyed bays of the nave. In 1842 the church was restored when the tower was altered, the chancel arch rebuilt and other arches rebuilt at the same time. The building was again restored in 1891 and a porch and vestry removed. The roof of the south chapel is modern and the roof of the south aisle is 16th century. The roofs of the nave and chancel are partly modern but incorporate much 15th century material. <2> Rodwell has suggested on the basis of the cruciform plan that it may have had its origins as a Minster Church for the Royal Estate. <3> The possibility that the present parish church of all saints, Great Chesterford originated as an esrly medieval minster church was proposed by the Rodwells. The church was briefly visited by the author of source <4> in April 2012 to ascertain whether there was any structural evidence to support this hypothesis. Though only slight vestiges survive of the early church at Great Chesterford, they indicate a substantial cruciform building by the end of the eleventh century. This was clearly something more than a local proprietary church; the suspicion of the Rodwells that the church originated as a minster appears to be confirmed. <4> 1992. Building survey. Repairs to the cement render of the tower and south elevation made it possible to observe the fabric of the walls in these areas. The north side of the tower is built of large re-used ashlars, somewhat irregularly laid with brick infill between them. The west wall of the south aisle is largely of brick. <5> The nave and chancel are dated by source <2> to the 13th century, but are much rebuilt. The tower, according to the same source, has a complex history. It fell in the 14th or 15th century, destroying the two western bays of the nave. The tower and west wall of the nave were then built in their present position. The tower again fell in the 18th century and was rebuilt in 1790. It was further altered when the church was restored in 1842. The north side of the tower is built of large reused ashlars somewhat irregularly laid, with brick infill (including pinkish and white flooring bricks) between them. The north-west buttress is mainly of flint with stone dressings, and is a later addition because it makes a straight joint with the tower, is built with different mortar, and includes later-looking larger bricks with horizontal pressure marks. The main build of the tower presumably dates from 1790, and the buttress from 1842. The buttress has more recently been repaired in flettons. The west wall of the south aisle is largely of brick (230 x 105 x 65mm) with horizontal pressure marks, including some thin white bricks, probably flooring bricks. The blocking of the two-centred arched window looks of one build with the wall, i.e. it looks as if it was built as a feature, with the round window in the blocking original but probably derived from elsewhere. The south-west buttress seems of one build with the wall but has been largely reconstructed in flettons. The bricks in this wall are probably more consistent with 1842 than 1790, but this observation should not be seen as firm evidence that this is when the wall was rebuilt. <6> 1994. Watching brief. In the course of re-excavating an old drain run and a soakaway on the south side of the chancel, a well was found, situated 1.7m from the chancel wall and just west of the door. The domed capping, perhaps 100 years old, was broken through by the builders. The well lining, visible to a depth of 1.2m below ground level, the level to which the earth and gravel filling the shaft had subsided, was made of red bricks laid to rat-trap bond. The bricks were regular with square arrises, measuring 228 x 110 x 68mm. They are probably late 18th to early 19th century in date. The well is very likely older than the brickwork, which could be a re-lining of the upper part of the shaft. <7> <8> July 2006. Watching brief. Excavations for a toilet block took place in 2006. The footings were sited at the foot of the church tower and to the immediate west of the lobby, and revealed a section of wall, which is thought to have been part of the north aisle, prior to the collapse/demolition of the west end of the church in around 1400. The excavation of the footings also revealed a small quantity of medieval/post-medieval floor tile. <9> July-August 2011. Watching brief. Two wall foundations, constructed of flint and gravel in mortar, were revealed to the west and south-west of the church. These are likely fragments of the 13th century tower and south aisle of the nave, which were demolished and cleared by the early 15th century. Groundworks for the relocation of a screen within the Lady Chapel revealed the floor surface to be modern. The presence of disarticulated human bones and other artefacts found below the floor make-up suggest ground disturbance during Victorian refurbishments of the church. <10> NRHE data transfer: (TL 50594276) All Saints' Church (NAT). <11> See also <12> <13> <14>. NRHE summary description: A flint church with stone dressings of 13th century origin with 14th and 15th century alterations. Restored in the 19th cnetury. The west tower was destroyed in the 14th-15th century and was rebuilt, but fell down in 1790 and was rebuilt in 1792. It is now faced in cement. The 2 western bays of the nave arcade and a lancet window in the chancel give evidence of the 13th century origin. The rest of the nave, the south aisle, the north chapel, the crossing and transepts are of the 14th-15th century. The south chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century.