All Saints, Ashdon, Essex (1/2)

There are some churches, that, as soon as you enter them, you know you’re going to be spending a while photographing all the graffiti in them. All Saints church in Ashdon is one of those churches. The church dates back to the 14th century,  with most of the interior belonging to the 14th and 14th centuries. While graffiti is present on practically all of the pillars, it is concentrated most around the choir.

There are examples of unusual graffiti including a crude drawing of a figure on a horse, a detailed heraldic shield, a sample of script, a strange figure which may be a gallows and a charming child’s drawing of a person.

All Saints has a large number of crosses, many displaying dot terminals at the end of the arms.

Among the graffiti on the heavily overwritten columns there are examples of cross hatching, masons’ marks, vertical lines, curious converging lines almost like bird foot prints, grid marks, dot patterns, concentric rectangles and some merels of the Three Men’s Morris pattern.

Report by Anthea Hawdon

All Saints
Church End,Ashdon
Saffron Walden
Cambridge
CB10 2HG

The church is usually open during daylight hours. There is space for parking along the lane leading to the church.

Search terms: Cross hatching, mason’s mark, Marian mark, M, Vertical lines, Converging lines, Grid marks, RF, H, R, C, 4, Dot patterns, T, D, T, Rectangles (concentric), other marks, Merel, TB, RF, TR, Figure on a horse, Marian marks, M, W, Shield, script, RW, RR, Figure, possible gallows, possilble swastika, Figure, V, IP, Crosses, cross (sun cross), cross (forked), M, GM, E, H, dot patterns, IM, RR, medieval graffiti, historic graffiti