All Saints Church, Loughborough facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints with Holy Trinity, Loughborough |
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All Saints with Holy Trinity, Loughborough
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Website | www.allsaintsloughborough.org.uk |
| History | |
| Dedication | All Saints |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Loughborough |
| Diocese | Leicester |
| Province | Canterbury |
All Saints Church, officially known as All Saints with Holy Trinity, is a historic Church of England parish church located in the town of Loughborough, Leicestershire. It's a special place within the Diocese of Leicester.
Contents
Discovering All Saints Church
All Saints Church is a really old building with a long history. It's found in Loughborough, a town in Leicestershire, England. The church is officially called All Saints with Holy Trinity. It's a key part of the Church of England in the area.
A Glimpse into History
The main part of All Saints Church was built way back in the 1300s. Its tall tower was added in the 1400s. The church stands on a small hill in the older part of town. People think this spot might have been a special place for worship even before Christian times.
All Saints is one of the biggest parish churches in England. This shows how important Loughborough was during the mediaeval period, especially for the wool trade. The famous Loughborough Grammar School was likely started by a priest from this church around 1496. It was paid for by a local wool merchant named Thomas Burton. The school was even located on the church grounds until 1850. A well-known hymn writer, G. W. Briggs, was the rector (head priest) of All Saints from 1918 to 1934.
Right next to the church is the Old Rectory. This building was once a manor house from the mediaeval period. Records show it existed as early as 1228. Most of it was torn down before people realized how much of the old house was still there. Today, it's a museum that opens on summer Saturdays.
The church's address is on Rectory Road, but its main entrance is on Steeple Row and Church Gate. Church Gate is an old street that connects the church to the modern town center. Even though it doesn't have mediaeval buildings anymore, it's still the same width as it was long ago. Part of it is now a pedestrianised area, meaning only people can walk there.
How the Church is Organized
All Saints Church is an important center for the Church of England. It's the official home of the Archdeacon of Loughborough. An Archdeacon is a senior church leader who helps manage churches in a certain area. The Archdeacon oversees six smaller church areas called deaneries in Western Leicestershire. These deaneries are named after old areas called hundreds.
All Saints is known as a more traditional Anglican church in Loughborough. There's another main Anglican church called Emmanuel Church, which was built in 1835. Emmanuel Church is more Evangelical and is popular with many students from Loughborough University. Emmanuel also has a sister-church called St Mary's in Nanpantan. Other churches in Loughborough include The Good Shepherd Church in Shelthorpe and All Saints Thorpe Acre with Dishley.
The Akeley East deanery, which includes Loughborough, used to be led by The Reverend Wendy Dalrymple. She was the rector of All Saints until 2023.
The Church Bells
The church tower holds a set of ten bells that are used for change ringing. This is a special way of ringing bells in a changing pattern. The heaviest bell, called the tenor, weighs about 1.5 tons!
These bells were made between 1897 and 1899. They were cast at the John Taylor Bellfoundry in Loughborough, which was less than a mile away. The four largest bells were made using a special method called lost wax casting. They have beautiful, detailed patterns on their sides.
| Bell | Diameter | Weight | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| feet & inches | (metric equivalent) | hundredweights-quarters-pounds | (metric equivalent) | |
| Treble | 2 ft 4 in | (711 mm) | 7-1-2 | (369 kg) |
| 2nd | 2 ft 5½ in | (749 mm) | 7-0-21 | (365 kg) |
| 3rd | 2 ft 7½ in | (800 mm) | 7-2-10 | (386 kg) |
| 4th | 2 ft 8½ in | (826 mm) | 7-1-7 | (371 kg) |
| 5th | 2 ft 10 in | (864 mm) | 8-1-13 | (425 kg) |
| 6th | 3 ft 1½ in | (953 mm) | 9-3-3 | (497 kg) |
| 7th | 3 ft 5½ in | (1054 mm) | 12-2-23 | (645 kg) |
| 8th | 3 ft 8 in | (1117 mm) | 15-1-25 | (786 kg) |
| 9th | 4 ft 1 in | (1245 mm) | 20-3-6 | (1057 kg) |
| Tenor | 4 ft 7 in | (1397 mm) | 30-2-0 | (1549 kg) |
Music at All Saints
Music is a big part of life at All Saints Church. The church has a special person called the Director of Mission through Music. This role is currently held by Emma Trounson, who started in 2019.
The church has several musical groups that perform:
- An adult choir
- A children's choir
- An All-Age Music Group
- A Contemporary Collective
- Taize Musicians (who play music for a special type of worship)
The Church Organ
All Saints Church has a large pipe organ with two keyboards. It was put in place in 1966 by a company called Henry Willis. Many of its pipes came from an organ that was no longer needed at Bridgway Hall in Nottingham. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The church has had many talented organists over the years. The current principal organist is Simon Headley, who started in 2019.
