All Saints' Church, Godshill

All Saints’ Church stands on a hill above the village of Godshill on the Isle of Wight. The building is medieval, with a tower and a bell-turret on the south gable. Inside, a medieval wall painting of a Lily crucifix survives, one of only two in Europe. The painting was whitewashed during the Reformation and rediscovered in the 19th century. The church has a chancel, nave, cross aisles and a tower, mostly in Transitional Norman style. A portion may date from the time of Fitz-Osbert’s gift to the Abbey of Lire in the 12th century. The church is noted for its Anglo-catholic tradition and its ring of six bells by Llewellin and James. The largest bell weighs eight hundredweight. A Commonwealth war grave in the churchyard remembers a Royal Engineers soldier from the First World War. Inside, a memorial honours Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, First Sea Lord at the start of the Second World War. The church once owned an Elizabethan chalice now on loan to Carisbrooke Castle Museum. Visitors find a spacious cruciform building with high walls and a singular bell-turret. The Lily crucifix painting is displayed in the nave. A stained-glass window by William Morris adds colour to the interior. The tower contains the six bells, rung together as a full peal. The churchyard offers views across the village and surrounding countryside.