All Saints Church, Dorchester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church |
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All Saints Church
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Church of England |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Redundant |
| Year consecrated | 1845 |
| Location | |
| Location | Dorchester, Dorset, England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Benjamin Ferrey |
| Architectural type | Church |
All Saints Church is an old Church of England church located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It was designed by an architect named Benjamin Ferrey and built between 1843 and 1845. Today, this church is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's History
People believe that a church has stood on the spot where All Saints Church is now for a very long time, possibly since the Normans came to England. The earliest records we have of a church here are from the 12th century.
Building the New Church
An older church on this site probably burned down in 1613 and was rebuilt. Later, in the mid-1800s, people decided to build a brand new church. Benjamin Ferrey was chosen to design this new building.
Workers started taking down the old church in August 1843. The first stone of the new church was laid by the Bishop of Salisbury, Edward Denison, on October 4, 1843. Local workers helped build the church. A church leader named Arthur Henry Dyke Acland also helped a lot, even acting like an "honorary architect."
Completing the Church
The new All Saints Church was officially opened by the Bishop of Salisbury on May 7, 1845. At first, the church's tower wasn't finished because they needed more money. It was missing its tall, pointed top, called a spire.
Work on making the tower taller began in 1851. The spire was finally added in 1852, completing the church's look.
What Happened Next?
All Saints Church stopped being used for regular church services on November 13, 1970. A few years later, on November 8, 1972, it was sold to the Dorchester Borough Council. Since then, the building has been used as a storage place for old artifacts found by the Dorset County Museum.
Church Design and Features
All Saints Church is built from local limestone, with special Ham stone details and slate roofs. It was designed in the Early English style, which is a type of Gothic architecture popular in England.
Inside the Church
The church has a main area called a nave, aisles on the north and south sides, a chancel (where the altar is), a vestry, and a tower on the northwest side. Many of the church's original furnishings, like benches and decorations, were made and given by local craftspeople and generous people between 1843 and 1845.
The font, which is a basin used for baptisms, is shaped like an octagon. It was carved from a large block of Portland stone by a craftsman named Mr. Gregory from Salisbury. The church also has a row of seven arches made of Caen stone. These arches show the Ten Commandments and other important texts from the Bible, created by Mr. William Osmond of Salisbury.
Old Treasures Preserved
Even though the church was rebuilt, some older items from the previous church were saved. These include an impressive tomb with a statue of Matthew Chubb, who passed away in 1617. There is also a special display of the royal coat of arms from the time of King Charles II.
