Relhan Collection : 217 Horseheath church. View from S

Relhan, Richard, 1782-1844

Relhan Collection

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>All Saints church, which contains Barnack stone carved with chevrons surviving from the C12, was rebuilt in C14 with field stones and ashlar dressing and has a chancel, aisleless nave, N and S porches and W tower. The nave was heightened C15/16 to provide 3 tall windows with armorial glass to record Alington marriages 1430-1500. It is now a very light church, ‘a veritable glasshouse’ (Bradley and Pevsner), partly thanks to destruction of dark armorial glass by Dowsing. Battlements were added in 1524 and the C16 brick N porch was converted into a vestry in early C18. There were complaints of neglect in early C17 and restoration in the late C17/18 made much use of red brick. A brick dormitory N of chancel was built 1711 by J Bromley, was dilapidated 1783 and taken down 1829. There were extensive repairs and redecoration inside in 1721, involving paintings of scriptural texts, garlands, angels and floral decorations. Complaints by the Archdeacon about the state of the church in 1823 led to some repairs, and there was extensive work from 1875 (RR Rowe), 1883 and 1891. The S porch was restored 1894, nave windows 1912 and the tower 1925. Relhan’s red brick porch is now flint with ashlar, the nave windows look much as in his day, as does the restored tower, apart from addition of a small pointed window.</p><p>Bradley and Pevsner 2014; Parsons 1911; VCH 1978</p></p>