All Saints Church, Bow Brickhill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints’ Church, Bow Brickhill
All Saints’ Church, Bow Brickhill
Location	Bow Brickhill
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	All Saints
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II* listed
Administration
Parish	Bow Brickhill
Deanery	Mursley
Archdeaconry	Buckingham
Diocese	Diocese of Oxford

All Saints’ Church in Bow Brickhill, Buckinghamshire, is a very old and important church. It is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's recognized for its special historical and architectural value. This church belongs to the Church of England and is located south-east of Milton Keynes.

A Look Back in Time: History of the Church

The first records of All Saints’ Church date back to 1185. This means it has been standing for over 800 years! A big update and repair project happened in the 1400s.

Restoration and New Uses

For about 150 years, the church was in very poor condition. It was even unused for a long time. But in 1756, a historian named Browne Willis helped bring it back to life. He gathered money and support to restore the church. Later, in 1834, the inside of the church was changed to make space for 175 more people.

During the Napoleonic Wars (around the early 1800s), the church was used for a very interesting purpose. It became a telegraph station! This was a way to send messages quickly across long distances using signals.

Inside the Church: Architecture and Features

All Saints’ Church has a main area called the nave, with side aisles. There is also a south porch, a chancel (the area around the altar), and a tall tower at the west end. The tower has four bells, but they cannot be rung as of 2023.

Building Style and Details

The church is a great example of the Perpendicular style, which was popular in England during the late Middle Ages. This means it has tall, narrow windows and strong, straight lines. Most of the windows are square-shaped. Inside, three arches on each side separate the main nave from the side aisles.

The central wooden beam in the roof has the date 1630 carved into it. In the south aisle, there is a piscina, which is a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels.

Special Furnishings

The church has a beautifully carved oak pulpit. This pulpit was moved here from an older church in Buckingham. The font, where baptisms take place, is shaped like an octagon. Its base has four carved eagles. The sides of the font are decorated with patterns of leaves and shapes called quatrefoils. One part even has a shield with two Roman T's carved on it.

The chancel area is simple, with an open wooden ceiling. There is also an oak screen under the arch that leads into the chancel. On the north side, you can see a black marble tablet. This tablet remembers a person named Rev. William Watson.

Working Together: Parish Status

All Saints’ Church is part of a group of churches that work together. This group is called a joint parish. The other churches in this group are:

• St Mary the Virgin's Church, Great Brickhill
• St Mary Magdalene's Church, Little Brickhill
• St Luke's Church, Stoke Hammond

Images for kids

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  All Saints’ Church, Bow Brickhill