All Saints Church, Douglas facts for kids

All Saints church, Douglas

All Saints Church in Douglas, Isle of Man was a special Anglican church built in 1967. It had a unique Modernist design, which means it looked very new and different for its time. Sadly, this church closed its doors in May 2017. Because of its interesting design, it was officially listed as a Registered Building of the Isle of Man in 2001, meaning it was an important building to protect.

The Story of All Saints Church

The very first All Saints Church was opened in 1898. People called it the "Tin Tabernacle" because it was made of corrugated iron, like a big metal shed! This first church was built to help the growing number of people in Douglas, as it was a smaller church connected to St. George's Church.

Even though the "Tin Tabernacle" was only meant to last about 15 years, it stayed in use for a long time. It wasn't until 1965 that it was finally decided the building was too old to be used anymore. After the old "Tin Tab" was taken down, a brand new All Saints Church was built. It was officially opened by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, Eric Gordon, on April 20, 1967. This new church was the first, and last, new Anglican church built on the Isle of Man for over 50 years!

Cool Modern Design

The way All Saints Church was built is called Modernist architecture. This style is quite rare on the Isle of Man. The church was designed by Claude Jennings Kneen. He was inspired by famous buildings like Auguste Perret's Église Notre-Dame du Raincy and Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut.

Special Features of the Building

All Saints Church had some very unique parts:

• It had a cool, curved concrete roof.
• The porch had a special screen made of concrete blocks with holes in them. These features were very unusual for the Isle of Man.

Inside the Church

The inside of the church was also very interesting:

• There were twelve special 'Apostle' windows on the north side of the main worship area. These windows were made of thick, colourful glass from Gothenburg, with each one a different colour.
• The East wall was made from black limestone from Pooil Vaaish.
• The font (a basin for baptisms) was made of grey-green Irish limestone. It had a pattern carved into it that was also found on an old cross called the Cross of Gaut, which is now in Kirk Michael.
• The altar, which is the main table in the church, was made of red marble called Rosso Francia. It even had birds carved into its side! This was because one of the people on the church building committee loved studying birds (an ornithologist).

People who study buildings think All Saints is very important. They said it was "the Island's best and most intact Modernist building."

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  Exterior

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  Pierced concrete block screen to the porch

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  Interior

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  The twelve 'Apostle' windows of the sanctuary

Why the Church Closed

After many years, the church building started to have problems. Leaks appeared, and the walls became very wet from condensation. An expert survey was done to check the building. In 2016, the report showed that it would cost around £400,000 to fix and update the church.

The church leaders decided that this cost was too high for the local church and the wider church on the Isle of Man. So, they made the difficult decision to close the building. After celebrating the church's 50th birthday on April 23, 2017, and holding a final service on April 30, worship moved to St George’s church. All Saints Church officially closed its doors on May 1, 2017.

Before it closed, a group called Culture Vannin took many photos and videos of the church on April 27, 2017, to remember its unique design.