Listed Building: ALL SAINTS CHURCH (1087941)

Parish church. Late C12 and early C14 tower, remainder of church rebuilt between 1800 and 1835, also with minor C20 alterations. Ashlar south aisle, chancel and north organ bay. Coursed squared stone tower and red brick vestry and nave with stone dressings and plinth. Slate nave and nave aisle roofs, shallow pitched leaded roofs to chancel and vestry. Western steeple, nave with large south aisle and chancel with north organ bay plus western vestry to north of tower. Four stage late C12 tower has roll moulded stringcourses between the stages and each stage is slightly narrower than that below. West elevation has an C18 doorcase with double raised and fielded panelled doors and a moulded lintel with raised keystone, whilst south elevation has a semi-circular headed C12 window. Attached to north of the tower is a single storey brick vestry with a pointed Y-tracery window to north. Second stage of tower blank except for C19 lancet to south side. Third stage has pair of pilaster strips to all sides and a C12 semi-circular headed window to west side. Fourth stage has double lancet louvred bell openings set in zigzag pointed arches to all sides, each with a carved corbel head to the top of the arch. Above is a large C14 broached stone spire, with weathervane to top. North-east corner of the tower has a large stepped buttress against it, which is probably the remains of the earlier nave. North elevation of nave has three tall pointed panel tracery windows in brick arches. Above is a simple coved eaves band. Attached to east is a short piece of C20 brick wall with a Y-tracery pointed window behind, and beyond is the pedimented bay of the north organ bay with a central, pointed, Y-tracery window. Attached to the east of the organ bay to the base is a C20 lean-to and above this to south is a blocked pointed window. The chancel has a pedimented, advanced east end with central 3-light intersecting tracery window. The date MDCCCIII is inscribed on the eaves band. The south elevation of the chancel has a blocked doorcase to west with a pointed Y-tracery window beyond to west. South nave aisle has three pointed panel-type tracery windows in deep recessed surrounds, similar to those on north aisle. West wall of aisle is blank. Interior is very simple and has panelled galleries to west end of nave, to either side of pointed moulded doorcase into the tower. There is no chancel arch and only tall thin iron columns between the nave and south aisle. Chancel has much restored early C16 screen from Wigston Hospital, Leicester with panelled base and crocketed ogee headed open panels above, decorated with pierced panel tracery. Re-set pieces also used in altar rails, choir stalls and for panelling behind the altar. North side of chancel has large organ bay with small door to east side, also covered with similar panelling. An enamelled brass plaque to west of organ records that Joseph Birkinshaw converted the Pares family vault into an organ bay in 1928. The nave has a late C19 octagonal timber pulpit with polished marble colonnettes and a C12 circular stone font with intersecting arcading. South wall of chancel has three early C19 wall memorials to members of Pares family, all by Westmacott and design as a set, each one with classical figure to base. There are also two late C19 enamelled brass wall memorials in the chancel. In the south aisle there is a similar brass memorial to Thomas Sneap, a white marble wall war memorial and a Gothick memorial of c1852 to Samuel Hey. To west end of the aisle is a slate plaque commemorating the enlargement of the church in 1835 and there is a similar slate plaque with list of charities to west wall of the nave. North wall of nave has black and white marble memorial to Henry Swindell who died 1801 which has an obelisk top with a bust in relief to centre, also a slate and marble memorial to John Winterton who died 1906, and two early C20 brass plaques. East window of the chancel has stained glass window by Edward Payne of 1968, north chancel window has stained glass by H H and B of Nottingham of c1927 and south chancel window has late C19, Chartres style stained glass. The two eastern windows of the south aisle have stained glass, that to east of c1885, dedicated to Harriette Towle by brass plaque below and central one of c1900 also with brass dedication plaque below. Central north window has brass plaque recording its donation by Joseph Birkinshaw in 1931 and eastern north window has stained glass of c1898. In the tower is a late C19 hatchment and there are two brass plaques, one recording the restoration of the spire, tower and belfy in 1890 and the other recording the donation of bells and another restoration of tower in 1927. Listing NGR: SK4237035702