All Saints Church, Benhilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Benhilton |
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| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Designated | 15 September 1863 |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Teulon |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwark |
All Saints Church, Benhilton is a historic Church of England church. It is located in Sutton, Greater London. The church was built between 1863 and 1867. It is a Grade II* listed church. This means it is a very important historical building. Experts describe it as a great example of Victorian architecture. It was designed by a famous architect named Samuel Sanders Teulon.
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Where is the church?
The church is just north of Sutton town centre. It stands on a raised area of land. This spot was created using earth from a nearby road project in the 1770s. Because it's so big and on a hill, it's easy to spot. It's a well-known building in the area.
How old is the church?
The area around the church became its own parish on September 15, 1863. The first stone of the church was laid that same year. Samuel Sanders Teulon designed it in the Gothic Revival style. This style brings back older church designs.
A man named Thomas Alcock helped a lot with the church. He was a wealthy landowner. He gave £18,000 for the building. He also gave the land for the church, the vicar's house, and a school. He wanted the church to serve a new area of fancy Victorian homes he was building.
The main part of the church, called the nave, and the south side aisle were built first. The tower and the chancel (the area around the altar) were added in 1867. The north aisle wasn't fully finished until 1906.
The church is famous for its bells. The first bell was given by Thomas Alcock. It rang when the church was officially opened. A frame for eight bells was put in the tower in 1877. More bells were added over the next few years. By 1882, there were six bells. All eight bells were first rung together on November 1, 1893. This day is known as All Saints Day.
In 1903, a book called Kelly's Directory of Surrey described the church. It said the church cost £24,000, including the land and school. It was made of flint and built in the Early Decorated style. The church had a clock and eight bells. The beautiful stained glass window at the front was a memorial to Thomas Alcock. The church had 874 seats. The records for the church go back to 1866. In 1901, about 3,503 people lived in the parish.
What does the church look like?
The church has a wide nave (the main part where people sit). It has round windows high up, called clerestorey windows. There's also a chancel, and aisles on both the north and south sides. It has a special Lady Chapel and rooms for the clergy. There's a tall tower at the west end and porches at the north and south entrances.
The church is built with brick, but it has flint (a type of stone) on the outside. It also has natural stone decorations. The roof is made of wood and covered with clay tiles.
Historic England says the church is a "fine example" of Victorian church building. They note it hasn't changed much on the outside. It has interesting features inside, including stained glass from the 1960s. The roof is also very striking.
The church has a large, four-story tower. The tower has a doorway and a big window with four sections. These windows have beautiful patterns called tracery. There are three clocks on the tower. They are on the north, south, and west sides. The top part of the tower, called the belfry, has openings for the bells. The tower also has strong supports called buttresses.
The aisles have sloping roofs. Above them, under the main roof, are the round clerestory windows. These windows have cool patterns inside them. The windows in the aisles are wide and have three sections with flowing tracery. The windows in the Lady Chapel show Mary and baby Jesus. These were designed in 2001.
An unusual thing about the outside walls is the small holes you can still see. These are called putlog holes. They were used for scaffolding when the church was being built. Usually, these holes were filled in, but here they were left visible.
What's outside the church?
There is an old churchyard around the church. It has many trees, including yew trees, and some important old tombs.
At the southwest corner of the church, there is a memorial. It remembers the men from the parish who died in the First World War. The words on it say: "In memory of those who from this parish and congregation laid down their lives for their King and country, 1914-1918." There is also a smaller memorial for F.A. Munford. In total, 54 men from the parish died in that war.
The Church Bells
The All Saints Benhilton Society of Change Ringers was started in 1896. They have practiced and rung the bells regularly ever since. They only stopped for a short time during the Second World War. The tower was fixed up by the bell ringers in 1970. A new set of eight bells was put in and dedicated in 1971. These bells were made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The heaviest bell weighs about 13.5 hundredweight (around 685 kg). Bell practices are on Tuesdays from 7:45 pm to 9:15 pm. The bells are also rung on Sundays from 8:45 am to 9:30 am. The person in charge of the bells is Jeremy Cheesman.
Images for kids
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Stained glass window
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Church exterior
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