All Saints Wath - The Interior

A view east along the nave

In an attempt to gain access to All Saints church in Wath-upon-Dearne, so that I could photograph its interior using a tripod – as I had done at Laughton-en-le-Morthen, South Anston and Wales in Rotherham – I made many attempts to make contact with key holders by telephone and e-mail without success. 

Heavy transverse ribs to the porch

As I have since discovered, the church had been without an incumbent for a long period of time, and after a wait of two and a half years, I finally managed to get inside on one of the Heritage Open Days event that had been organised this year. 

A view west from the chancel to the nave

Having successfully organised a similar event at St. Helen’s church in Treeton, the week before, I was looking forward to meeting like minded people and - although I had brought my photographic equipment with me - the nave and the aisles had been reorganised for their Art in the Aisles exhibition, and I realised that I would have to save my detailed investigation of the interior for another time – as I had to do with All Saints church in Aston, when they held their extremely popular Heritage Open Days event. 

The north arcade

On entering the church, the round arched north arcade catches your eye, with its robust circular columns and relatively simple capitals – as well as the coursed rubble walling above it - and this Norman style of architecture continues into the chancel. 

The south arcade

Looking at the south arcade, the octagonal columns and the wide pointed arches obviously show that this to be a later date - early C14 Decorated Gothic - and the stone used here and continuing up into the clerestory is much more yellow in colour than that used for the Norman arcade. 

A fragment of possible Saxon masonry

According to the South Yorkshire County Council County Archaeology Monograph No 2, All Saints church still has various fragments of an earlier Saxon stone built church incorporated into its present fabric; however, although I was shown a fragment of carved stone that is just left on a window sill - believed to be of Saxon origin – I wasn’t able to take a good look at the stonework on this occasion. 

The chancel

Although I didn’t examine the stonework in any detail, all of the plaster was removed from the walls during the restoration of 1868-69 and this makes it possible to see the various differences in the masonry that exist in the various phases of building. 

A detail of the reredos

In addition to the local Carboniferous sandstone, Permian dolomitic limestone is used for the reredos in the chancel, which was added in 1870, and the black and white marble floor was laid in 1898. There are also various memorials from World War I, where alabaster and various marbles have been used. 

Various memorials

I am not sure when I will make a return visit but, quite unusually, the two guide books that I bought were very comprehensive and it will certainly require a good couple of hours to cover the various points of interest described in them.

The Lady Chapel