"The early 14th century spire of All Saints' dominates the length of Broad Street, despite the great cathedral sitting at the opposite end. It is very much a living church with wide open spaces for activities of all kinds. The western end has even been converted into a terraced cafe.
This modern hustle and bustle in no way detracts, however, from the ancient heart of the building where stands the treasure which many visitors still come to see. For here are All Saints' superb set of 14th century choir stalls, highly carved and complete with amusing misericords. They could have sat ten monks from the small French monastic order that owned the building at that time. There is also a contemporary parish chest and, above, a strikingly colourful modern east window depicting the city's patrons, SS. Aethelbert and Thomas Cantilupe. Other features include the elaborate pulpit and sounding board of 1621 and, in the vestry, a 17th century hour-glass (to restrict boring sermons) and a chained library."
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"Parish Church of All Saints stands opposite the N. end of Broad Street. The walls are mainly of rubble with ashlar dressings, all of local sandstone; the roofs are covered with tiles and lead. There are remains of an early 13th-century church of considerable size and richness of detail, incorporated in the side walls of the present Chancel. These consist of parts of a large pier with arches springing all four ways, at the N.W. angle of the chancel, the E. respond and part of an arch in the S. wall of the chancel. These remains indicate a church consisting of a chancel with N. and S. chapels, chancel-arch and nave with a N. and probably also a S. aisle. Foundations found under the existing N. aisle and chapel indicate that the previous aisle and chapel were narrower than their successors, and that the chapel did not extend so far E. Late in the 13th century an extensive rebuilding took place in a much plainer style; the chancel was probably first undertaken followed by the S. arcade of the Nave and the South Aisle; a little later the N. arcade and North Aisle were re-built and the ground stage of the North-West Tower added; c. 1300 the North Chapel was re-built and enlarged. About 1330 the walls of the S. aisle were raised; soon after, the upper stages of the tower and the spire were added, the South Chapel re-built and the South Porch added; the E. end of the Chancel was re-built towards the end of the century. The church has been considerably restored in modern times: the spire in 1885, the nave and N. aisle in 1892–4, the chancel and S. aisle in 1902 and the tower in 1915. During one of the restorations the South Porch was removed and re-built on the S. side of the S. chapel, and the E. end of the S. chapel entirely re-built.
The church is of considerable architectural interest, and among the fittings the stalls, communion-tables, chest, pulpit and chained library are noteworthy.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (42 ft. by 23¼ ft.) has a restored late 14th-century E. window of five trefoiled ogee lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head; below the internal sill and flanking the altar are two late 14th-century doorways, now blocked and each with chamfered jambs and ogee head; they presumably opened into a former vestry or sacristy outside the E. wall. In the N. wall is a late 13th-century arch, two-centred and of two chamfered orders, with modern labels; the half-round responds are modern but have late 13th-century moulded capitals with semi-octagonal abaci; at the E. end of the wall is a partly restored late 14th-century window of two trefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; the splays are skewed to avoid the E. wall of the N. chapel; under the N.W. angle of the chancel is the base of an early 13th-century pier, from which arches sprang in all four directions; the base of the former chancel arch consists of one triple and two single attached shafts with moulded hold-water bases; the single shaft on the W. face is filleted and the shaft itself remains to its full height, embedded in the later wall; it has a moulded capital with defaced 'stiff-leaf' foliage; the base of the respond to the N. chapel-arch is similar, but the single shafts were both round; the later respond stands on this base; the E. respond of the early N. arcade of the nave has a series of grouped shafts and the respond itself remains embedded in the wall; the capitals with 'stiff-leaf' foliage are at a much lower level than the springing of the early chancel-arch, and above them are the lower stones of the moulded arch; the respond-base of the early arch at the W. end of the N. chapel had three attached shafts, but the bases of only two of these are visible. In the S. wall is a late 13th-century arch, perhaps re-constructed in the 15th century; it is two-centred and of two continuous chamfered orders, with a chamfered label on the N. face with one king's head and one rough square stop; at the E. end of the wall is a partly restored late 14th-century window similar to the corresponding window in the N. wall but not skewed; farther W. is a round relieving-arch, over the sedilia and a 16th-century doorway with chamfered jambs and four-centred head; between the doorway and the arch is part of the shafted E. respond of an early 13th-century arch with 'stiff-leaf' capitals embedded in the wall; the springer of the moulded arch itself is also exposed and a further portion of the arch is visible on the S. face of the wall; at the W. end of the wall is a projection containing the 15th or early 16th-century rood-loft staircase; the upper doorway in the N.W. face has chamfered jambs and a shouldered head. There is no chancel-arch.
The North Chapel (36 ft. by 20½ ft.) is of late 13th-century date, and has in the E. wall a much-restored window of four lights with modern tracery in a two-centred head. In the N. wall are two windows, the eastern of two pointed lights, with a plain spandrel in a two-centred head; the western window is much restored and of three lights, the side lights pointed and with the mullions run up to the two-centred head to form the middle light; there is a straight joint at the W. end of the wall. On the S. wall above the arch is a projecting corbel-table contemporary with a lower and earlier N. chapel. There is no structural division between the chapel and the N. aisle.
The South Chapel (46 ft. by 17½ ft.) has a modern E. wall with the stones of a blocked window, re-set in their original position; higher up in the wall is a modern window. Near the W. end of the N. wall is the lower doorway to the rood-loft staircase; it has rebated jambs and square head. In the S. wall are three late 14th-century windows, all much restored and each of two trefoiled lights with tracery in a two-centred head; below the middle window is a much restored 14th-century doorway with roll-moulded jambs and two-centred head.
The Nave (74¼ ft. by 22½ ft.) has a N. arcade of c. 1300 and of three bays with two-centred arches of three chamfered orders with chamfered labels; the cylindrical columns have moulded capitals and bases; the responds have attached half-columns. The late 13th-century S. arcade is of five bays, the easternmost being half the width of the others; the arches are two-centred and of three chamfered orders, with chamfered labels; the cylindrical columns have moulded capitals and bases; the E. respond has a moulded corbel, supporting the inner order, with 'stiff-leaf' foliage and a restored triple tapering shaft below it; the W. respond has an attached half-column. Above the arcade is a clearstorey with four windows each of one pointed light and all modern externally; E. of the easternmost window is a straight joint of doubtful significance. The W. wall has been largely refaced and contains a much-restored window of c. 1300 and of five pointed lights in a two-centred head; the head of the window has been raised but the original springers remain on each side; the W. doorway is of c. 1300 and has chamfered jambs and segmental-pointed head.
The North Aisle (20¼ ft. wide) has in the N. wall three partly restored windows of c. 1300 and each of three pointed lights in a two-centred head; below the westernmost window is a doorway, with a two-centred arch of two orders, the inner rounded and continuous, and the outer moulded and springing from detached shafts with moulded capitals and bases; the E. shaft is modern and the W. shaft is either concealed or destroyed by an added buttress of the tower; the doorway appears to be of early 13th-century date re-set.
The South Aisle (12½ ft. wide) has at the E. end a 14th-century arch, two-centred and of two chamfered orders; it springs on the N. from above the first pier of the S. arcade and the inner order rests on moulded corbels; above the arch is a window of the same date and of two trefoiled lights in a square head. In the S. wall are four 14th-century windows, the easternmost and two western windows are all more or less restored and are each of three trefoiled ogee lights, with net-tracery in a square head; the second window, also restored, is set higher in the wall and is of three ogee lights in a square head; below it is the late 14th-century S. doorway with restored moulded and shafted jambs and a moulded two-centred arch in a square head with traceried spandrels and a modern label. In the W. wall is a much-restored window probably of the 15th century; it is of four trefoiled ogee lights with tracery in a four-centred head, with a moulded label.
The North-West Tower (about 17¼ ft. square) is of three stages (Plate 5) with a moulded plinth and a modern embattled parapet. The ground stage is of late 13th-century date, and has in the E. wall a distorted segmental-pointed arch of four chamfered orders, the three outer dying on to the splayed responds and the inner springing from half-round attached shafts with moulded cappings and bases; in the W. wall is a partly restored window of a single trefoiled light. The upper stages of the tower were added c. 1300; the second stage has in the N. and W. walls a small window of one trefoiled light. The bell-chamber has in each wall a partly restored window of three trefoiled lights with blank spandrels in a two-centred head with a moulded label. The octagonal 14th-century spire rises from within the parapet, and has rolls at the angles. In each of the cardinal faces is a restored window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head with a gabled coping and a trefoiled panel in the spandrel.
The North Porch has an outer archway of doubtful date, with chamfered jambs and semi-circular arch.
The South Porch was originally on the S. side of the nave and was of late 14th-century date. It has been re-built on the S. side of the S. chapel, but has now no ancient features.
The Roof of the chancel is of 15th-century date, and of waggon-form with a modern boarded soffit and divided into panels by moulded ribs with foliated bosses at the intersections; two bosses have human faces in addition; the wall-plates are also moulded. The mid 15th-century roof (Plate 23) of the N. chapel and aisle is of seven bays with hammer-beam trusses, moulded main timbers, curved braces, moulded and foliated pendants to the side posts and traceried filling to the main spandrels above the hammer-beams; the braces of the collar-beams meet in foliated bosses and the soffits have traceried panelling; some of the wall-posts stand on stone head-corbels and two terminate in carved heads; each bay of the roof is divided into twelve panels by purlins and subsidiary principals with carved bosses at the intersections. The late 15th-century roof of the nave is of seven bays, with king-post trusses, the king-posts rising from the tie-beam to the ridge; the main timbers are moulded and the spandrels between the tie-beams and the principal rafters are filled with open vertical tracery; the king-posts have attached shafts from which spring curved braces to the ridge; the curved brackets to the tie-beams have foliated spandrels and spring from carved figures holding blank shields; each bay of the roof is sub-divided by purlins and a subsidiary principal with carved bosses at the intersections; the wall-plates are moulded and embattled except on the N. side of the three W. bays. The much-restored roof of the S. aisle is of c. 1500, low-pitched and of four main bays with king-post trusses; the tie-beams are moulded and cambered and have curved braces with carved spandrels including leaves, dragon, Tudor roses, a shield and a male figure; the E. truss rests on old stone corbels, that on the N. being carved with a lion's head."
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