All Saints Church, Rotherham

All Saints Church stands in the centre of Rotherham, a large cruciform building of warm Rotherham Red sandstone. Its tall central tower and spire rise above the town, making it the most prominent landmark. Nikolaus Pevsner called it one of the largest and stateliest churches in Yorkshire. The present structure was mainly built between 1480 and 1512 in the Perpendicular Gothic style. Earlier churches occupied the site, including a Norman building from the 12th century. Traces of the Norman roof ridge can still be seen on the western tower arch. The church is recognised as Grade I listed and has held Minster status since 2004. Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York, built the Jesus Chapel in the late 15th century. During the English Civil War, Royalist forces fired on the tower where the puritan minister John Shaw had taken refuge. Major restorations in the 19th century removed galleries and box pews, cleaned the stonework and installed a new font. Bullet holes and fire damage from 1643 were found and preserved during this work. Inside, the nave has medieval misericords and choir stalls kept by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The Great East Window, given in 1875, fills the chancel with light. The Jesus Chapel was restored in 1921 as a war memorial, and its stained glass dates to that time. The spire was rebuilt between 2010 and 2011 after corrosion and leaning were discovered. A current project is restoring the Great West Window, begun in 2021 with support from the Cultural Recovery Fund.