All Saints' Church, Oakham

All Saints’ Church stands in the centre of Oakham, a small town in Rutland. Its tall west tower and spire rise above the rooftops and can be seen for miles across the flat countryside. The tower dates from the 14th century and is built in the Decorated Gothic style, while most of the rest of the exterior belongs to the Perpendicular style. The south doorway and its porch are even older, probably from the early 13th century. Inside, the nave columns are slender and carry richly carved capitals with animals, birds, foliage and scenes from the Bible. A Green Man carving is also present among the decorations. The church has been carefully restored twice, once in the 19th century by Sir George Gilbert Scott and again in the 20th. The tower’s ringing floor was rebuilt in 1858, and eight new bells were installed in 1910 by Gillett & Johnston. A priest’s bell from 1840 remains in place, and the bells were rung for royal occasions until a breakage in 1923. The organ has been replaced several times, most recently in 1996 by Kenneth Tickell and Company, whose two-manual instrument now stands in the north-west corner. Visitors enter through the ancient south porch into a light, spacious interior. The nave columns lead the eye to the chancel, where the carved capitals tell stories from the Bible. The Green Man carving adds a touch of mystery among the foliage. The tower’s ringing chamber can be reached by a narrow stair, and the organ’s pipes stand in the north-west corner. The church is surrounded by the quiet streets of Oakham, with distant views of the countryside from the tower windows.