All Saints Church, Ellough
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church, Ellough, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the parish
of Ellough
in the English
county
of Suffolk
. The church is medieval in origin and has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands in an isolated position on the top of a low hill, some 2.5 miles (4 km) to the south-east of Beccles
.
of the church of St Marys in Willingham St Mary
, the site of which is visible from the church, was consolidated with Ellough in the 18th century. The church was restored
in 1882 by William Butterfield
, including the replacement of the east window. Its parish was combined with that of Weston
in the 1970s and All Saints was largely closed with only occasional services taking place.
Richard Aldous Arnold became rector of Ellough in 1830, a post he held for more than 60 years. He was the father of Australian politician William Munnings Arnold
and the rower Frederick Arnold
, both of whom were born at Ellough. Memorials to Arnold and his wife are found on the south wall of the chancel. Arnold is credited with building the parsonage immediately to the west of the church, which dates to around 1830 and is a Grade II listed building.
rubble
with stone dressings. The nave
is rendered
, and the roofs are felted
. Its plan consists of a two-bay
nave, a two-bay chancel
, a south porch, a north organ chamber and a west tower. The tower dates from the 14th century and is unbuttressed
. It has two-light bell openings containing Y-tracery
, and a flat parapet
. The nave contains 15th-century two-light windows. Its north doorway is blocked, and the south nave doorway and porch date from the 19th century. The chancel has two-light windows on its sides, and a three-light 19th-century east window.
Inside the church is a 14th-century piscina
and a sedilia
. The stairs leading to the former rood
loft are still present. The octagonal font
dates from the 15th century, and its bowl is carved with shields and flowers. The reredos
and the chancel ceiling were designed by Butterfield. The memorials include two brasses
in the sanctuary, and there is a ledger slab dating from the middle of the 18th century in the chancel. Many of the fittings have been removed.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Ellough
Ellough
Ellough is a parish in the English county of Suffolk located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. Neighbouring villages include North Cove, Weston, Sotterley and Henstead...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. The church is medieval in origin and has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands in an isolated position on the top of a low hill, some 2.5 miles (4 km) to the south-east of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
.
History
The church dates from the 14th century, and a south porch was added in 1602, paid for by Thomas Love. Wall paintings were removed in 1643 when William Dowling, a strict puritan, visited the church. Land from the glebeGlebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
of the church of St Marys in Willingham St Mary
Willingham St Mary
Willingham St Mary is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk located about south of Beccles along the A145 in the District of Waveney. The village is joined with Shadingfield and west of Sotterley. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 155...
, the site of which is visible from the church, was consolidated with Ellough in the 18th century. The church was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1882 by William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
, including the replacement of the east window. Its parish was combined with that of Weston
Weston, Suffolk
Weston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk located approximately south of Beccles in the District of Waveney. The parish lies either side of the A145 and is crossed by the Ipswich to Lowestoft railway line. Neighbouring villages include Ellough, Ringsfield, Willingham St...
in the 1970s and All Saints was largely closed with only occasional services taking place.
Richard Aldous Arnold became rector of Ellough in 1830, a post he held for more than 60 years. He was the father of Australian politician William Munnings Arnold
William Munnings Arnold
The Hon. William Munning Arnold was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1856 until his death. He held numerous ministerial positions between 1860 and 1865 including Secretary for Public Works and Secretary for Lands...
and the rower Frederick Arnold
Frederick Arnold
Frederick Montagu Arnold was an English rower, school teacher, officer in the volunteers and clergyman....
, both of whom were born at Ellough. Memorials to Arnold and his wife are found on the south wall of the chancel. Arnold is credited with building the parsonage immediately to the west of the church, which dates to around 1830 and is a Grade II listed building.
Architecture
All Saints is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with stone dressings. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
is rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, and the roofs are felted
Tar paper
Tar paper is a heavy-duty paper used in construction. Tar paper is made by impregnating paper with tar, producing a waterproof material useful for roof construction. It can be distinguished from Roofing felt:Asphalt-saturated felt. Roofing felt has been in use for over a hundred years...
. Its plan consists of a two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave, a two-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, a south porch, a north organ chamber and a west tower. The tower dates from the 14th century and is unbuttressed
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
. It has two-light bell openings containing Y-tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
, and a flat parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The nave contains 15th-century two-light windows. Its north doorway is blocked, and the south nave doorway and porch date from the 19th century. The chancel has two-light windows on its sides, and a three-light 19th-century east window.
Inside the church is a 14th-century piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
and a sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
. The stairs leading to the former rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
loft are still present. The octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 15th century, and its bowl is carved with shields and flowers. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and the chancel ceiling were designed by Butterfield. The memorials include two brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
in the sanctuary, and there is a ledger slab dating from the middle of the 18th century in the chancel. Many of the fittings have been removed.