All Saints' Church, Edmonton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Edmonton
The tower at the west end of the Church of All Saints
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	Official website: http://www.allsaintsedmonton.org.uk/
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Administration
Parish	All Saints Edmonton
Deanery	Enfield
Archdeaconry	Hampstead
Episcopal area	Edmonton
Diocese	London

All Saints' Church, Edmonton, is a historic church located on Church Street in Edmonton, London, England. It was first mentioned in old records during the 12th century. The church was completely rebuilt in the 15th century and has been changed many times since then.

History of All Saints' Church

All Saints' Church is the main parish church for Edmonton. This area was once part of Middlesex county. Today, it is in the London Borough of Enfield.

Early Beginnings

The earliest known mention of the church is in a document from between 1136 and 1142. This old paper shows that the church was given to Walden Abbey by Geoffrey de Mandeville. The church was fully rebuilt in the 15th century. After that, it went through many big changes over the years.

Changes Over Time

In 1772, the outside of the church was covered in brick. Most of its stone window frames were replaced with wooden ones. A historian named William Robinson, who wrote about Edmonton in the early 1800s, thought this happened because one church leader was a bricklayer and another was a carpenter. At that time, the church had only one side aisle, on the north side of the main hall.

The church's leader in 1772, Dawson Warren, was not happy about these changes. He even wrote a poem about how the old stone parts were removed and replaced with wood and brick.

The buttresses were chipped away and cased
The ancient battlements built up and coped
With square-cut stones, the Gothic window frames
The costly work of our forefathers' zeal
With sacrilegious hands were torn away
And changed for timber…

Victorian Era Renovations

The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was restored in 1855 by Ewan Christian. In 1868, the wooden window frames from the 1700s were replaced with stone ones. More big changes happened in 1871. The galleries, which were extra seating areas added in the late 1700s, were removed. The old box-shaped pews were also replaced with new seating.

In 1889, a south aisle and a room for the organ were added. These new parts were designed by WG Scott, who used to work with Ewan Christian. Today, the only part of the church that still looks like it did in the Middle Ages is the tall, four-level tower at the west end. Inside, the roof of the main hall and the arches on the north side are from the 15th century. The arches on the south side were added during the 1889 changes.

Famous People Buried Here

Several notable people are buried at All Saints' Church. These include:

• Montague Gosset, a surgeon.
• Charles Lamb, a famous essay writer.
• Mary Lamb, a writer and sister of Charles Lamb.
• Tryphosa Jane Wallis, an actress.
• Ann Wyatt, known for her charity work.
• John Adams, a mathematician and astronomer.
• Charles Henry Adams, a headteacher and secretary.