Architecture

There can be no more definitive word on English buildings than Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s Architectural Guides.
The volume on The Cotswolds was written by David Verey and then updated by Alan Brooks in 1999.
The section on All Saints Church is reproduced here by kind permission of Yale University Press London,
publishers of the Pevsner series since 2002. The pictures set out in the gallery below were all taken
in April 2024 and hopefully may go some way to illustrating the description of the building.

TURKDEAN

ALL SAINTS. Originally a Norman church with nave and chancel.
A small embattled Perp tower was later built inside the W end of
the nave, and most of the Norman features which survive are to
be found in the W  walls, for in the C14 or C15 the nave N wall
was rebuilt from the Norman N doorway E, and a Perp S aisle
added. Chancel probably C13, altered in the C15 and C19. The
Norman features at the W end include typical flat buttresses,
portions of the corbel-tables, half the chevron-enriched N door-
way, with billeted hoodmould, and even less of the S doorway.
Various other carved stones of Norman origin are built into the
W walls, eg a diapered slab, and a probable dedication cross in
relief. In the chancel S wall is the reset upper portion of a small
Norman doorway, with a roll moulding on cushion capitals,
diapered tympanum, and abaci and hoodmould with saltire
crossed; renewed lancet either side. Perp N porch its arched
entrance hoodmould with headstops wearing contemporary
head-dress, similar to those on the inner rectangular label,
which also has quatrefoils in its spandrels. Nave and aisle win-
dows are also Perp; to the NE a large blocked window, perhaps
to light the rood. Late C14 S arcade of three bays with octagonal
piers and double-hollow chamfered arches. Within the tower,
chamfered arches to E, N and S. Plain C19 Neo-Norman chancel
arch. There were restorations in 1857-9 and in 1897 by C. Ll. R
Tudor of Kensington; his are the attractive roofs, that of the S
aisle resting on some original but defaced corbels.

FONT. Octagonal; reputedly a C19 replica of the Perp one,
which was damaged. – PULPIT. C15. Stone and quite solid. Part-
octagonal, panelled and transomed, on a moulded base.
Severely scraped in the C19. – SCREEN. 1949 by Peter Falconer.
Very nice. Of oak, painted white with vivid colour decoration,
and with a painted rood.¹ – WALL PAINTINGS. Large C14 figure
set against a starry background in a spandrel of the arcade; the
figure carries a staff, but seems not to be St Christopher, since
there is no Christ Child.² Further W, a fragment of C17 text; above the chancel arch very fragmentary royal arms perhaps also C17.
– STAINED GLASS. Good E window possibly c.1859 by Thomas
Willement. – N chancel window 1886 by Hardman. – Excellent
window in the S aisle of 1937 by Henry and Edward Payne.

From Pevsner Architectural Guides: The Buildings of England, Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds, pp. 700-‘2
by David Verey and Alan Brooks
Third ed, extensively revised 1999
Copyright © Alan Brooks and the estate of David Verey, 1999
Originally published by the Penguin Group, 27 Wrights Lane, London, W8 5TZ and originally set in 9/10pt Monotype Plantin
Since 2002 published by Yale University Press London, 47 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
Reproduced with permission of the Licensor, Yale Representation Limited through PLSclear, April 2024 (License 92197)

North Porch

North Porch West headstop

North Porch East Headstop

North Door

North Door West headstop

North Door East headstop

North Door East quatrefoil in spandrel

North Door West quatrefoil in spandrel

Window in North wall of Nave, adjacent to Tower

Window in South wall of Nave adjacent to Tower

Memorial to Turkdean resident, Oliver Turner who died (aet 28) in last months of Great War together with roll of honour of village residents who served in that conflict

Victorian replica of medieval octagonal font damaged while being moved back to earlier position by North door in Nave during Biscoe’s renovation

The Bolton window in the South Aisle by by Henry and Edward Payne (1937)

Memorial to Dame Julia Bolton, wife of WA Rixon

Stained glass image of WA Rixon (1937)

Stained glass image of Dame Julia Bolton (ob. 1924)

West wall of Nave with door to Tower

View from Tower (West) end of late 14th century South Aisle

Octagonal column of South aisle

15th century stone part-octagonal, panelled and transomed on a moulded base

13th century Chancel, altered in 15th century and realigned in Biscoe renovations of 1839 – a new altar table was donated by Hon John Dutton (of Sherborne) in 1859, surmounting the ?Saxon? altar tablet

View from Chancel through Norman arch to Nave and Tower

Memorial to Rev George Hornsby (1780-1837), Vicar of Turkdean 1807-’37

Brass Chancel lectern

Chancel lancet stained glass window

North side Chancel stained glass window of St Peter and St Paul by Hardman, erected in memory of Rev Frederick Biscoe in 1886

Chancel East stained glass window by Thomas Willement installed as part of Biscoe second refurbishment of 1859

Lily panel of Chancel East stained glass window by Thomas Willement (1859)

Pelican panel of Chancel East stained glass window by Thomas Willement (1859)

Eagle panel of Chancel East stained glass window by Thomas Willement (1859)

Remnants of Norman doorway in North wall of Chancel at West (Tower) end

Remnants of Norman doorway in North wall of Chancel at West (Tower) end

The Tower was built on the West End of the Norman Nave

Small embattled Perp tower was built inside the West end of the Norman nave

Architectural inclusion in Tower wall

Architectural inclusion in Tower wall

Mass or “scratch” dial in South Tower wall

Remnants of South door hood between Tower and Nave wall joins

Weathered “grotesques” in South wall

Blocked doorway in South wall of Nave

Blocked doorway in South Nave wall

Blocked doorway in South Nave wall

Buttress at join of Nave and Chancel in South wall

In the South wall of the Chancel is the reset upper portion of a small Norman doorway with a roll moulding on cushion capitals, diapered tympanum, abaci and hoodmould with saltire crossed

Reset upper portion of small Norman doorway with a roll moulding on cushion capitals, diapered tympanum, abaci and hoodmould with saltire crossed

Reset upper portion of a small Norman doorway with a roll moulding on cushion capitals, diapered tympanum, and abaci and hoodmould with saltire crossed

Trefoil cap on Chancel South East corner

Chancel East end window

Cross over the Chancel gable donated by Miss Biscoe, sister of Rev Frederick Biscoe in 1859

Substantial buttress in North wall at join of Nave and Chancel

1. The rood screen was dismounted in 2022 and set aside as it formed a barrier between chancel and nave. This used to be tolerable with very small congregations who could all be accommodated in the chancel, but with the development of a regular choir and the welcome growth of attendance in the last 10 years it became preferable to re-unite chancel and nave by the removal of the rood screen which now rests against the wall of the South Aisle, ↩︎
2. The late 13th century wall paintings at All Saints noted by authoritative local architectural historian Will Croome CBE FSA as including a “very fine late 13th century Madonna” were sadly overpainted during a disastrously unsupervised programme of redecoration in 1967. This should serve as reminder to all never to allow too lax supervision of redecoration work in historic buildings. ↩︎