Befitting its location in the heart of the historic market town of Odiham in E Hampshire, All Saints is a large, spacious church. The removal of external render in 1897-1903 exposed patchwork facings of flint, rubble stone and brick, described at the time as ‘a kind of kaleidoscope puzzle of fragments that vary in form, age and colouring’ (Builder, 18 July 1903, 62). Amongst the fragments are plain mouldings of potential Norman origin.

The nave of All Saints is flanked by aisles with high arcades in the Perp style, admitting copious light. A red brick W tower of 1649 is positioned over the W nave bay and fronted by an organ gallery. Beneath this, supported by a moulded circular plinth of 13thc appearance, is a tub font carved with a band of medieval script (‘Auxilium meum a domino qui fecit celum et terram’ [Psalm CXX]). Variously dated from the 14thc to the 15thc, it includes a small projection with a shallow basin and retains an iron staple for a lock. The 13thc chancel is flanked by chapels or aisles, giving the church a rectangular plan. The pillar piscina in the south wall of the chancel is the only interior feature of 12thc origin, although a Norman capital was reportedly discovered during the restoration of 1897-1903.

Odiham was already a large settlement by 1086, with a royal stronghold, 248 householders and two churches. One of these was undoubtedly All Saints; the other may have been St Mary, Greywell. It has been suggested that All Saints originated as a minster. The parish was large and its scattered rural population was served by several chapels in addition to the parish church. The population of the town had grown considerable by the Reformation but the parish itself had shrunk due to outlying areas forming their own parishes.

Around 1115 the church and rectory of All Saints, Odiham, was granted by Henry I to Salisbury Cathedral and Bishop Roger of Salisbury, as an endowment for the Chancellor. Although this was confirmed by King Stephen, the church appears to have been subsequently alienated. It was restored to Salisbury by Henry II around 1157, in exchange for Devizes Castle. In the 13^th century, when the chancel was rebuilt, the benefice had the high value of £66 13s. 4d., but this had halved by the 1530s. The patronage was transferred from the Chancellors of Salisbury to the Bishop of Winchester in 1856.

Bullen et al. (2010) dates the pillar piscina to c.1190 and suggests that it was relocated. This seems likely given the later date of the chancel and the portable nature of the feature.

It was noted in 1903 that ‘The capital of a small Norman shaft, found during the recent repairs, is now on the floor of the tower within the church’ (Builder 18 July 1903, 60). The same article noted the existence of the pillar piscina and, again, suggests that it must have been moved to its present location.