All Saints' Church, Gresford facts for kids
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All Saints' Church (which is Eglwys yr Holl Saint in Welsh) is a very old and special church. You can find it in the village of Gresford in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Gresford used to be a coal mining village. This church is quite large and was mostly built in the late 1400s. It's made of a slightly red sandstone, similar to many churches in nearby Cheshire. Many people say it's the most beautiful parish church in all of Wales. It also has more original medieval stained glass than any other church in the country.
The amazing bells of All Saints' Church are famous! They are one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales. People say the bells have a wonderfully clear sound. The church itself is also famous for its size, beauty, and the old church monuments inside. Even the ancient yew trees in its churchyard are well-known. The bells are remembered in an old rhyme:
- Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,
- Snowdon's mountain without its people,
- Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,
- Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.
Because it's so important, the church was named a Grade I listed building on June 7, 1963. This means it's an "exceptional example of a late-medieval church with fine medieval glass and furnishings."
Contents
A Church with a Long History
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People believe there might have been a church here even before the late 1200s. The Domesday Book from 1086 mentions a church in "Gretford." However, the building you see today was mostly built at the end of the 1400s. It's quite large and fancy for what was a small village back then. This suggests that many people visited the church, perhaps as a pilgrimage site. A pilgrimage is a special journey to a holy place. Maybe there was a special relic (a holy object) or a statue, possibly of the Virgin Mary, that attracted visitors. The area the church served was huge, covering over 30 square miles!
Around 1500, Robert Parfew, who was the Bishop of Saint Asaph, wrote to Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell was a very important minister for King Henry VIII. The Bishop asked if he could move his main church to Gresford. He said the church was "strongly and beautifully made" and had "all manner of ornaments and other necessaries." He also mentioned that the people of the parish were "aided and succoured," which might mean they benefited from the money brought in by pilgrims.
Amazing Stained Glass Windows
The church has many beautiful stained glass windows from around the year 1500. Most of these colorful windows are now found at the east end of the church. Some people think that parts of the glass might have come from Basingwerk Abbey. This abbey was a monastery that was closed down by King Henry VIII.
A very important person named Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, helped pay for many things in the church. He helped Henry Tudor win the Battle of Bosworth and become King of England. Thomas Stanley paid for the large main east window, which is almost completely original. This window shows many figures of saints, reflecting that the church is dedicated to "All Saints." There's also a window in the Lady Chapel that tells the story of the Life of the Virgin in several scenes, and it's mostly still intact.
Old Memorials and Carvings
Inside the church, you'll find some very impressive memorials. Most of these are for the powerful Trevor family, who lived nearby at Trevalyn Hall. One memorial shows a statue, called an alabaster effigy, of Sion Trefor (who died in 1589). He is shown lying down within a classical frame. Another memorial shows his daughter-in-law, "Dame Katherine Trevor," twice. Once she is painted and kneeling next to her husband, Sir Richard Trefor (who died in 1638). She is also shown kneeling with her daughters in a smaller carving.
The church also has twelve special wooden seats called misericords. These were made in the late 1400s or early 1500s. Some of the carvings on them are very interesting and tell stories. For example, one shows a devil being pushed by a person, and two women being pushed into the "jaws of Hell."
The Famous Gresford Bells
The first time anyone wrote about the Gresford bells was in 1714. In 1877, a special machine was put in the bell tower. This allowed one person to ring all eight bells at once. The bells are still rung regularly for church services. There's also an old tradition of ringing them on November 5th. It's not completely clear why, but it might be to remember William of Orange landing in England in 1688, or to celebrate the failure of Guy Fawkes's Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. During World War II, the bells were only allowed to be rung as a warning if an invasion was happening. Some of the bells have been replaced with newer ones over time.
An Ancient Roman Altar
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In 1907, workmen made an amazing discovery inside the church: the Gresford Stone. This is an altar from the Roman period! It had been hidden for centuries, used as a simple stone block when the medieval church was being rebuilt. The altar has four carved sides and a decorative dip at the top. This dip was used to place offerings to the goddess Nemesis, who is shown carved on one side. This Roman altar was probably part of a Roman shrine and dates back to between 100 and 350 AD.
The Ancient Yew Trees
The church is surrounded by many yew trees. Some of these trees are as big and old as the famous yew trees in Overton-on-Dee, which are also part of the Seven Wonders of Wales. Twenty-five of these yews were planted in 1726. However, one tree near the south gate is much older. It was already an ancient tree when King Richard II ordered everyone to plant yew trees. This was because yew wood was very important for making Longbows for the army.
The churchyard also has the graves of six soldiers from the Commonwealth who died in World War I.
