All Saints' Church, Bakewell

All Saints' Church, Bakewell, is the parish church of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

The church was founded in 920, during Anglo-Saxon times and the churchyard has two 9th-century crosses. During restoration work, in the 1840s, many carved fragments of Anglo-Saxon stonework were found in and around the porch, as well as some ancient stone coffins.

The present church was started in the 12th century in Norman style; however, only the west front and part of the nave survive from that time. The remainder of the church was built between 1220 and 1240. The spire was added in 1340 but, was taken down in 1825, and the tower also removed in 1830. Before the restoration work the church measurements were from the level of the church floor to the top of the spire 180 feet (55 m), from east to west 153 feet (47 m), transepts from north to south 106 feet (32 m). Between 1841 and 1844, it was almost completely rebuilt as it had become dangerous. as part of the restoration by William Flockton. Once the external works were completed in 1844, internal restorations were undertaken. The church was re-pewed throughout. The Norman piers from the nave were substituted for early English decorated ones, and steam heating was introduced. This work was carried out by Mr Bath of Haddon under the supervision of the architects John Grey Weightman and Matthew Ellison Hadfield of Sheffield. The church re-opened on 4 September 1851. The chancel was restored between 1879 and 1882 by George Gilbert Scott Jr. The restoration was carried out at the expense of the Ven. Archdeacon Balston, vicar, with the outside walls being paid for by the Ecclesiastical commissioners. A new screen was provided under the chancel arch, with carving mimicking that on the screen in the Vernon Chapel. A new pavement of marble was laid. In the sanctuary, a new reredos was installed, with an engraving of the scene on Mount Calvary. The woodwork was done by Mr Elwell of Beverley. The walls by Burlison and Grylls, the floor by Belham of Buckingham Palace Road, London and the marble work by Twigg of Ashford. A north vestry was added in 1897–98 at a cost of £700 (equivalent to £78,700 in 2025). The architects were Naylor and Sale of Derby, and the contractor T. Allsop and Son of Bakewell. The vestry was fitted out with furniture from Booth and Wright of Bakewell, and the woodwork was installed by Groom and Co of Bakewell and Matlock. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell on 15 May 1898. In 1906–07 the nave roof was repaired by Charles Hodgson Fowler. He fixed a large crane on an elevated timber platform just over the roof of the south porch, and covered the nave with a temporary iron roof. The crane was used to remove the old roof timbers. Oak trees from Holton Park, Oxfordshire were selected for the new roof timbers. Hodgson Fowler also replaced the tie beams and the wall plates. The cost of restoration was £445 (equivalent to £46,300 in 2025).

All Saints' contains three early-15th-century misericords, along with eighteen 19th-century misericords in the choir stalls. Additionally, there is one 19th-century misericord on a priest's seat. The 19th-century misericords date from 1881.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).