All Saints Church, Conington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Conington
All Saints Church, Conington, from the south-east
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OS grid reference	TL 179 858
Location	Conington, Cambridgeshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	28 January 1958
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Limestone and fieldstone

All Saints Church is a very old Anglican church in the village of Conington. This village is in the Huntingdonshire area of Cambridgeshire, England. Today, the church is "redundant," which means it's not used for regular church services anymore.

However, it's a super important building! It's listed as a Grade I listed building. This is the highest level of protection for historic places in England. It means the church is very special and needs to be carefully looked after. The Churches Conservation Trust helps take care of it. You can find All Saints Church east of the village, between the busy A1 road and the main train line.

History of All Saints Church

A church was first mentioned in this spot a very long time ago. This was recorded in the Domesday Survey, which was a huge survey of England made in 1086. The church you see today was mostly rebuilt around the year 1500. Imagine, that's over 500 years ago!

In 1638, a man named Sir Thomas Cotton helped fix the top parts of the walls. These parts are called "embattled parapets" because they look like the top of a castle wall.

Later, in 1841, the church had a big "restoration" or makeover. During this time, the old pews (church benches) were replaced. A new window was added at the east end of the church in 1852. The church tower was made stronger in 1862. More repairs and improvements happened between 1897 and 1899.

Church Architecture

All Saints Church is built from limestone and fieldstone. These are types of natural rock. It also has special limestone decorations.

Outside the Church

The church has a main area called the nave. This nave has four sections, or "bays". Above the nave, there's a row of windows called a "clerestory". There are also side sections called north and south aisles. At the end of these aisles are small chapels. The church also has a chancel (the area around the altar) and porches on the north and south sides.

The church has a tall tower at the west end. This tower has four levels. Its base is decorated with a pattern called a "quatrefoil". At each corner of the tower are half-round turrets. These turrets go up to pointy tops called "crocketted pinnacles". The top of the tower has a battlemented parapet like a castle. It also has a quatrefoil pattern and funny stone carvings called "gargoyles". These gargoyles stick out from the walls.

At the bottom of the tower, there's a big arched doorway. Above this door is a window with five sections. The bell openings at the top of the tower have four sections. The clerestory windows have three or five sections. Along the south aisle, there are three windows, each with four sections. The south chapel has a four-section window on its south side and a five-section window on its east side. Between the aisle and the chapel, there's a small tower called a "rood turret" with a pointy roof. The south porch is small and has a tiled roof. The chancel has three-section windows on its north and south walls, and a fixed east window.

Inside the Church

Inside All Saints Church, you'll see rows of arches called "arcades". There are four sections of these arches. The sections closer to the west end are wider than the others. In the south wall of the chancel, there's a special seat for three people called a "sedilia". There's also a small basin called a "piscina" used for washing sacred items.

The font, which is used for baptisms, is made of limestone and has eight sides. It's from the 15th century, but its base was added in the 1800s. Inside the church, you can also find monuments. These are like memorials to the Cotton and Heathcote families. Most of the church's furniture and fittings were put in during the 1841 restoration.

The organ, which is a musical instrument, was built by Miller and Son from Cambridge. The church has a "ring" of six bells. All of these bells were made by Thomas Mears II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Five of them were made in 1827, and the sixth one was made in 1834. The church also has a clock, which was made in 1801 by the Vulliamy family from London.

See Also

• Churches Conservation Trust