Earls Barton - Parish Church

Parish Church

The famous Church of England Parish Church of All Saints has been a feature of the town for many centuries. Its famous Saxon tower dates to 970 AD. Pevsner says that the church tower as built was not originally followed by a nave, but a chancel. He also describes the tower's bell openings as being very unusual - having five narrow arches each on turned balastrades.

All Saints' underwent two phases of Norman enlargement, one at either end of the 12th century.

Other notable features include:

• a Norman or Saxon door and arcading on the western end of the building - this was the original entrance to the church,
• a medieval rood screen,
• a Victorian font and pews, and
• a modern 20th-century inner porch and windows

Apart from the Saxon tower, the church is mainly built from Northamptonshire ironstone and limestone, while the tower was constructed from Barnack stone and infilled with local limestone.

Another feature is that every century from the 10th century onwards is represented in either the fabric or the fittings of the church building. It is decorated with the work of the local artist Henry Bird.

The church was featured on a 1972 postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail, as part of a set depicting village churches.

There are three other churches in Earls Barton: Methodist, Baptist and Roman Catholic. Another Saxon church can be found nearby in Brixworth.