Listed Building record MDR5454 - All Saint's Church, Church Street, Ockbrook

All Saint's Church, Church Street, Ockbrook, originally a 12th century building. 'Ockbrook Church, which is dedicated to All Saints, consists of a wide nave, chancel, and tower surmounted by a low spire at the west end. "That there was a chapel here in the twelfth century, possessing rights of baptism, is proved by the old Norman font, which is now standing in the porch… The small tower… is an interesting example of the transition from the Norman style to the Early English, temp. Henry II 1154-1189. The broached octagon spire is of later date - probably of the time of Edward I. The large square chancel… bears the year MDCCC III above the east window… A tablet at the west end of the nave states that the church was enlarged in 1835… so we conclude that this is the date of the present debased nave… A view of this church, drawn about 1825 by Mr Meynell, shows a south porch to the nave between two two-light square-headed windows of Perpendicular date. There was also a two-light pointed Decorated window nearer the chancel… There is a handsomely-carved screen of dark oak, separating the chancel from the nave, and there are quire stalls of the same style and date - c1500. The screen has been, unfortunately, turned the wrong way; so that the best of the carving faces the east. This woodwork was brought from Wigston's Hospital, in Leicester, about 1810… In the east window of the chancel is some old 16th century glass, representing the four Evangelists and their emblems, which was also brought here from the same hospital. The glass was then restored after a poor fashion…' (1) 'The font at Ockbrook dates to approximately 1100-1150 and somewhat resembles the font at Somersall Herbert. It has had a large cavity hewn in its sides and now [in 1905] lies beneath the tower.' (2) 'The church is in use for public worship.' (3) 'All Saints Church. Parish church. Late 12th century and early 14th century tower, remainder of church rebuilt between 1800 and 1835, also with minor 20th century alterations. Grade II*.' (4) 'The chancel of the old church was rebuilt by Thomas Pares in 1803. The nave was widened to the north in 1814-15, to the south in 1835 and given a flat ceiling and a west gallery in two parts, on cast-iron columns. There is a Norman font, tub-shaped, with interlaced arches, and an early 16th century screen from the Wigston Hospital of fine, slender, delicate workmanship. The top part was removed in 1967 and converted into a communion rail, possibly its original use. The west tower is the only other medieval survival, 12th century, with a somewhat later plain broached spire and huge north-east buttress.' (6) 'With regard to the screen and glass from St Wigstons, Leicester, an article in the Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society (http://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/HamiltonPagesfromvolumeXLVIII.pdf) suggests that somebody (or somebodies), either a trustee or the master acting on their own initiative or maybe the trustees acting in concert, sold off the glass in c1805, and that this and the screen were either sold or gifted to Ockbrook church. No-one it seems realized what had happened until the early 1820s. There was then a hue and cry, but the windows and screen stayed put in Ockbrook. The windows were damaged in the 1950s, the result of a fire at the nearby Hopwell Hall, and the surviving glass was removed and donated to the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, who may still have it.' (7) 'A bell in All Saint's Church is of historical significance. The 1653 bell cast by G Oldfield of Nottingham is a good example of the founder's work.' (8) From the National Heritage List for England: 'PARISH OF OCKBROOK CHURCH STREET SK 42 35 6/58 (East Side) 10.11.67 CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS GV II* 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 This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 27 October 2017.' (9)