The large imposing church at Seaton

Seaton is set on the side of a hill overlooking the Welland valley. Nearby is the large Seaton viaduct, on the Oakham to Kettering railway line. It is three quarters of a mile long and took four years to build. It has 82 arches which are up to 72 feet high. The railway is now only used for freight traffic. When Henry Royce (founder of Rolls Royce) was created a baronet, he took Seaton as his territorial designation. His family had worked here as millers. The population in 2001 was approx 180.

The chancel of All Hallows at Seaton

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and mentions a priest at Seaton. The families that have owned the estate and manors over the years can be found at the British History link where there is a wealth of information on the village and its early years.
All Hallows consists of a large west tower & spire, nave, north & south aisles and chancel. The south doorway has some Norman features with a moulded arch, two orders of shafts and hoodmould with billet frieze. The chancel arch belongs to the same date with their richly carved abaci and also the responds at the east end of the south arcade. The arcades were rebuilt in the 12th century and the chancel in the 13th century. The west tower is late 13th century with its west window with bar tracery and other features including the nave tower arch with its late 13th century shafts and capitals. The spire is of the chamfer type with three tiers of lucarnes and twin-pointed trefoiled lights.

The south aisle and chapel

There was a major restoration by the Victorians in 1874-75 by a N. M. Fawcett of Cambridge when many of the windows were wholly renewed, new roofs erected, and the present small circular clearstory windows inserted.
In the south wall of the south aisle are two wide pointed tomb recesses, with arches of three chamfered orders and hood-moulds, in the easternmost of which a mutilated 13th-century effigy was placed at the restoration.  The font and pulpit are modern. The old font had an octagonal bowl, each face carved with a plain cross, but it was discarded and sawn up at the restoration, and its eight sides, stem, and four legs now form the back and supports of a stone seat at the west end of the south aisle.

The chancel arch with carvings

Wright in 1684 mentions an ancient monument without any epitaph in an arch in the south wall of the body of the church on which were ‘two coats of arms cut in the stone uncoloured.’ Of this monument only the two shields remain, built into the wall of the south aisle near the doorway. In the chancel is a tablet to the Hon. John Monckton of Fineshade Abbey (d. 1830) and other members of the Monckton family, and in the north aisle a memorial to seven men of the parish killed in the war of 1914–19.
There are said to have been numerous remains of wall paintings before the restoration, but they were ‘too dilapidated to be preserved.’ There was a St. Christopher on the north wall opposite the entrance.

The north arcade from the southern aisle. The clerestory windows are Victorian.

Seaton church is one of the longest church in Rutland being 122ft long. It is an imposing building and overlooks the landscape with fine views and of course being in Rutland this church is also open during daylight hours so is worth a visit. Access by wheelchair users will be problematic via the stepped southern entrance but there may be access via the north side. This needs checking if anyone can help?