Church of All Saints, Radwell

Church of All Saints
Church of All Saints in Radwell in Hertfordshire
52°00′27″N 0°12′22″W / 52.00747°N 0.20602°W / 52.00747; -0.20602Coordinates: 52°00′27″N 0°12′22″W / 52.00747°N 0.20602°W / 52.00747; -0.20602
Location	Radwell, Hertfordshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Architecture
Status	Church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	1968
Years built	14th-century (current building)
Specifications
Nave width	16 feet 6 inches (5.03 m)
Materials	Flint, clunch
Bells	2
Administration
Diocese	St Albans

The Church of All Saints in Radwell in Hertfordshire is an Anglican parish church which comes under the Diocese of St Albans. It is a Grade II* listed building, having gained that status in 1968.

There was probably a church of some sort on the present site from at least 1215 as the first recorded Rector was Baldricus in 1218. This first building was probably mainly of wood but nothing of it survives in the present structure.

The present All Saints Church is a small parish church in the Perpendicular style probably dating to the mid-14th century but which was much restored in the 19th century. The church consists of a chancel 20 ft. by 13 ft. 6 in., a north vestry 14 ft. by 7 ft., the nave 35 ft. by 16 ft. 6 in., and the south porch 8 ft. 6 in. by 8 ft.

Constructed of flint and clunch rubble with the cement render removed in places, the chancel arch, window openings and the walls of the nave and chancel are probably mid-14th century in date, while the East window (a three-light window of about 1500 with decorative late 19th century glass given in 1885) and tower arch date to the early 16th century. The nave was restored in 1875, at which time the pews were added, while the chancel was restored in 1882, at which time the vestry and South porch were added. The short nave does not have an aisle and has only one window in each of the North and South walls. The steeply pitched roof has coped gable parapets, while above the West bay of the nave can be seen a bell-cot with a small broached copper spire over the timber bell chamber. A pointed arch separates the West bay as if the builders had intended to add a tower. The chancel arch dates to about 1340 and is similar in design to the tower arch but is more finely moulded, while the chancel's wagon roof is 19th century. The chancel arch shows traces of where at one time a rood screen was fixed across the archway, but this was presumably destroyed centuries ago.