All Saints' Church, Hertford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Hertford
All Saints' with St John's, Hertford
All Saints' Church, Hertford, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	TL 328,125
Location	Queens Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	All Saints, Hertford
History
Former name(s)	All Hallows, Hertford
Status	Parish church
Founded	?700 AD
Dedication	All Saints
Consecrated	20 February 1895
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	12 April 1973
Architect(s)	Paley, Austin and Paley Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival (Perpendicular)
Groundbreaking	1893
Completed	1905
Specifications
Capacity	800
Height	140 feet (42.7 m)
Materials	Runcorn sandstone
Administration
Parish	All Saints with St. John, Hertford
Deanery	Hertford and Ware
Archdeaconry	Hertford
Diocese	St Albans
Province	Canterbury

All Saints' Church is a beautiful and important church located in Queens Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. This church is very special because it serves as the main church for the town of Hertford and the county of Hertfordshire. It is also a "Grade II* listed building," which means it's a historically important building protected by law. All Saints' Church is the biggest church in Hertfordshire, apart from St Albans Cathedral, and can hold up to 1,000 people!

History of All Saints' Church

The history of All Saints' Church goes back a very long time, even before the 10th century. There was a church on this spot when the Domesday Book was created, which was a big survey of England in 1086. In the 15th century, a new church was built. It had a cross shape when viewed from above, and a tall tower at the west end.

In the 17th century, the parish (church area) of All Saints joined with the parish of St John. Sadly, on December 22, 1891, the church was completely destroyed by a fire.

To build a new church, a competition was held for architects to design it. The winning design came from a firm called Paley, Austin and Paley from Lancaster. The first stone for the new church was laid on March 25, 1893. The church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of St Albans on February 20, 1895.

The insurance from the old church only covered a small part of the cost. A lot more money was raised by people donating to help build the new church. The church was fully finished between 1904 and 1905, with the tower being added. This work was done by the same architects, now known as Austin and Paley. Later, in 1934, a special Memorial Chapel was finished. It was built to remember those who died in the First World War. In 2003, new glass doors were added at the west end of the church.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

The church is built from red Runcorn sandstone, and its roofs are made of lead and tiles. Its style is called Gothic Revival, which means it looks like churches from the medieval Gothic period.

The church has a main central area called a nave, with a row of windows high up called a clerestory. On either side of the nave are aisles. There's a porch at the northwest (front-left) side, and a part that sticks out on the north side called a transept. At the east end is the chancel, where the altar is, with a vestry (a room for clergy) on the north side and a chapel on the south. There's also a tall tower at the west end.

The tower has three main sections. It has a half-round staircase tower on the north side and strong supports called buttresses at its corners. There's a main door at the west side, with a large window above it. In the middle section of the tower, there are windows and clock faces on all sides. The very top section has openings with louvres (slanted slats) for the bells. The top edge of the tower looks like a castle wall (called a parapet or battlement) and has decorative stone carvings. There are also gargoyles (carved stone figures that act as water spouts) at the corners, and tall, pointed decorations called pinnacles.

Inside the Church

Inside, the tower is held up by large, eight-sided pillars. The main walkways (arcades) are supported by eight-sided columns. At the entrance to the south chapel, there's a beautiful oak screen that was put in place in 1961.

The chancel is a few steps higher than the main part of the church. The reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) is made of alabaster and was given to the church in 1914. It has a carved picture of the Last Supper and four saints. In the south wall of the chancel, there's a small basin called a piscina (used for washing sacred vessels) and a double seat called a sedilia (for the clergy).

The pulpit (where sermons are given) is made of sandstone and is attached to a pillar between the nave and the chancel. The font (used for baptisms) is made of polished fossil limestone. It has a carved eight-sided bowl on top of a column.

The beautiful stained glass windows add a lot of color to the church. The east window's stained glass, from 1900, was made by Charles Eamer Kempe. The east window in the Memorial Chapel shows four martyrs. Other stained glass on the north side of the church was made by Shrigley and Hunt.

You can also see parts of old metal plaques (called brasses) from the earlier church, dating back to the 15th century. The chapel has a marble memorial for soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment.

The Church Organ

The church has a large and impressive organ. It was first installed in 1898 by Henry Willis & Sons, a famous organ builder. More parts were added in 1910. In 1971, the organ was rebuilt after some fire damage. It was rebuilt again in 2001 with more additions.

The organ was originally blown by hand until 1923, when an electric blower was installed. Between 2000 and 2001, the organ was fully restored. This included fixing the leather parts, improving the action (how the keys connect to the pipes), and adding new sounds like a Fanfare Trumpet. All the new pipes were specially made to match the original ones.

The church also has a ring of ten bells. All of them were made in 1907 by Mears and Stainbank at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, a very old and famous bell-making company.

External Features

Outside the church, in the churchyard, there are several old memorials. Five of these are also listed as Grade II buildings, meaning they are historically important. These include:

• A large stone tomb from 1774.
• A brick tomb covered in stucco from the 18th century.
• Two stone gravestones from the 18th century.
• A carved stone headstone from 1711.
• A group of six headstones from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Notable interments

• William Tutty

Images for kids

• 

  All Saints' Church, Hertford, from the southwest

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in East Hertfordshire
• List of works by Paley, Austin and Paley
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)