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History |
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Did You Know?
About the Protestant riot of 1811? How about the Spanish civil war refugees? Or the world's oldest man - born in Wickham Market? And the All Saints vicar who was sent to prison? Then there's the vicar's daughter who became a Serbian sergeant-major Not to mention the woman who spoke with no tongue |
We are all familiar with that feeling of being a little awestruck when entering any medieval church or cathedral for the first time; the sheer weight of history, knowledge of so many lives come and gone, and the immensity of architectural achievement, but what do we actually know about our much loved place of worship? The answer in full can be found in the excellent, lengthy and detailed All Saints history booklet which is located amongst the proffered literature just inside the porch, but for those of you who are unable to visit (or wait!) please read on for a concise look at the last 700 years. Building work on the church commenced around the year 1300, beginning with the nave and chancel, while the first documented vicar, William de Ludham, took up his position in 1309. The 150 year period from late 14th century to mid 16th century saw a number of large donations, generally via wills, which enabled several improvements to be made - most notably the building of the unusual but magnificent octagonal tower, a project which probably took several decades to complete. Other developments during that time included the north-west window, painted candlebeam, rood screen, and a new roof. The next 200 years brought with them the devastation of the reformation and puritan purge, a time when rood screens were ripped out, wall paintings whitewashed, stained glass destroyed and fonts defaced. All Saints didn't suffer as badly as some, but the rood loft and candlebeam went, numerous paintings were erased and the tower lost it's cross. By the 1770s things were not so much being pulled down as falling down; the ruinous spire had to be replaced at a cost of £160 with a new example soaring 137½ from the ground. When topographer John Kirby climbed the same tower a few decades earlier he claimed to be able to see almost 50 churches; a little conjecture as to which these were with the help of a map suggests a spectacular view indeed.
The arrival of a new Tractarian vicar in 1869 signaled the end for the box pews and a major interior restoration ensued, closing the church for several months. As this 1870 groundplan shows, the result, including a new north aisle, was essentially the All Saints we see today. Helping to complete that picture was the arrival of the current organ in 1873, closely followed by the familiar lectern and pulpit in 1881. The six bells (five 17th century, one 16th century) were re-hung in 1883, the same decade that brought most of the last notable changes and additions. They included the beautifully painted reredos, solid oak high alter, and roses & fleurs de lys artwork for the ceiling panels. With that we come to the turn of the century and an opportunity to demonstrate that to a 700 year old church the passing of a century really isn't such a big deal. The two photographs below were taken approximately 100 years apart (c1905 - c2002) and provide excellent evidence of how little the building has altered in that time, despite the changing surroundings. The photograph below left, taken around 1900, gives us a view from the north-east, whilst the shot below right shows the spire being repaired in 1904. The eagle-eyed among you may see the wag atop the spire; determined, by one means or another, to reach heaven before anyone else!
A photograph of the church interior around 1905 is available here Nine more historic photos from around the village can be seen below;
Click on these links to see maps of the village from 1780, 1820 and 1902 |
