All Saints, Colchester, Essex

Colchester town centre was a disappointment - only one of ten churches was open (not including All Saints which is now the Natural History Museum), most of the buildings have been either over restored or are Victorian and, having left in sunshine, it rained.

All Saints sits opposite Colchester Castle, now redundant it is essentially a Victorian re-build and currently, as aforesaid, is the home of the Natural History Museum and as such there's little of interest remaining visible.

ALL SAINTS, High Street. In an impressive position, facing the modern opening towards the castle. Little else of interest, except the fine W tower of flint, with diagonal buttresses and flint and ashlar decoration of the battlements. Big three-light bell-openings. The rest mostly 1861. C15 the pier between chancel and N chapel - of the familiar four-shafts-and-four-hollows - section. Double-chamfered arches. - STAINED GLASS. The N windows pretty, no doubt of c. 1861, the W window by Kemps 1905. - PLATE. Early C17 Cup on baluster stem; large Cup and small Paten of 1714; Flagon of 1777.

In the High Street are the churches of All Saints and St Nicholas*, All Saints with a 16th century tower faced with flints, an old door, and a fine lion and unicorn in spandrels; St Nicholas with a medieval bell, a Norman piscina, an altar table and three chests of the 17th century, and a painting which was the old altarpiece of the vanished church of St Runwald, a church dating from Saxon times which used to stand in the middle of the street.

*St Nicholas has since been demolished.

Flickr.