All Saints Aston - Arcades & Arches

A view from the north aisle showing various columns and arches

During my investigation of the mediaeval churches set on or near to the outcrop of the Mexborough Rock - whose distinctive strong red colouration has given it its name of Rotherham Red sandstone - it is this stone that has generally been used for the fabric, with Magnesian Limestone mainly reserved for the arcades, doorways and window dressings.

A view of the north arcade with decorated plaster in the north aisle

As can be seen in the north aisle of All Saints church in Aston cum Aughton, where fragments of decorated plaster still remain, the masonry in mediaeval churches was very often coated with lime plaster or limewash – to provide a substrate for painting in bright colours.

A detail of mediaeval decoration in the north arcade

When such thick lime coatings have been removed during Victorian restorations, the remnants of lime usually obscure the details of the stone beneath it and this can make it difficult for the archaeologist to interpret the details of its construction history or an architect to distinguish the various stones when they need to be restored.

A general view of algae on the stonework to the arches of the south arcade

With an opportunity to look closely at the arcades in All Saints church during the Heritage Open Days event, they appear to be a patchwork of stones, with lime, efflorescence, green algae, various iron oxide pigments and general dirt obscuring their general colour; however it is possible to discern that the core of the double chamfered arches – as described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner – are dolomitic limestone and that the outer parts are Rotherham Red sandstone.

Details of various columns and capitals

Looking closely at these columns, it appears that a banded pattern was originally intended, with the top two drums being Rotherham Red sandstone, with the remainder generally being in dolomitic limestone; however, with so many people wandering around the interior of the church, and with other things to see, I needed much more time to fully investigate the various stones that have been used over the years – in both its original construction and subsequent restorations.

A detail of the plinth to an octagonal column

A very open textured and porous yellow limestone has been used in the lower sections and plinths of the columns and, like the limestone details on the exterior, it appears to have been susceptible to advanced decay – with rising damp contributing to their deterioration.

A detail of the plinth of a circular column