All Saints Church, Odiham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Odiham |
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All Saints Church, Odiham from the northeast
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| 51°15′10″N 0°56′26″W / 51.252678°N 0.940485°W | |
| Location | Odiham, Hampshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | allsaintsodiham.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 24 November 1961 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic and Tudor |
All Saints Church is an Anglican church located in the village of Odiham, Hampshire. It stands close to Odiham's main street, about 10 miles (15.2 km) from Basingstoke. This historic church is recognized as a Grade I listed building by English Heritage, meaning it's a very important historical site.
Contents
Discovering All Saints Church: A Journey Through Time
There has been a church on this spot since at least the 11th century. This is known because it was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. The oldest parts of the church you can see today are the chancel (the area around the altar) and the bottom of the tower. These parts were built in the early 13th century.
Over time, the nave (the main part of the church where people sit) was changed and made bigger. It now has side aisles. The top parts of the tower were completely rebuilt in the 17th century.
The church today has a nave with gabled aisles (side sections with pointed roofs) that are about the same height. These aisles stretch out to either side of the western tower. The chancel sticks out to the east and has chapels (smaller rooms for worship) on both sides, also with gabled roofs. The walls are mostly made of flint stone, with some other rough stones mixed in. The newer parts, like the top of the tower, are made of red brick. The roof is covered with tiles.
What Does the Church Look Like Outside?
On the outside, you'll see seven buttresses (stone supports) along each side of the church. These buttresses frame windows that were added at different times and have different designs. Some windows show a "Decorated Gothic" style, while others are "Perpendicular Gothic." You can see these styles in the large windows at the west ends of the aisles. For example, the north side has a Decorated window, and the south side has a Perpendicular one. There's also a porch with a pointed roof on the north side, which covers a doorway leading into the north aisle.
The church tower has foundations from the 13th century, made of flint and rubble. However, the upper part of the tower was rebuilt in red brick in the mid-17th century. At the bottom of the tower is the main entrance, called the western portal. It has a flattened "Tudor arch" shape, which has been recently repaired. Above this arch is a window with decorative stone patterns. The tower rises in two main sections. The first section has a square-topped window in the Tudor style. The belfry (where the bells are) has a large, rounded opening with classical details, including decorative bricks and columns. The very top of the tower has a crenelated parapet (a wall with gaps like a castle) and pointed decorations called pinnacles, added in the 19th century. Inside the tower are six bells, which have been there since 1614.
Exploring the Church's Interior
Inside the church, the nave is separated from the side aisles by rows of arches called arcades. These arcades were built at different times and have different styles. The arches on the south side are from the 13th century and have four sections supported by slender columns. The arches on the north side are wider and from the 14th century, supported by eight-sided columns.
The chancel, which is mostly from the early 13th century, is separated from the nave by a large arch. It has two sections and opens into a chapel on each side. These chapel arches are supported by strong, half-round columns.
The church has a font (a basin for baptisms) from around the year 1500. There are also many wooden fittings from the 17th century, including the pulpit (where sermons are given) and galleries (raised seating areas) at the ends of each aisle. These galleries were put in place in 1632. In 2010, a new gallery was built at the end of the nave to hold the new organ, which was installed in 2011. This new gallery was designed to look like the older 17th-century ones.
The chancel has a beautiful window with three sections of stained glass from the late 20th century. This glass, made by Patrick Reyntiens, shows a scene called the Adoration of the Lamb. Other windows in the church feature stained glass from the 19th and 20th centuries, created by famous artists like Hardman of Birmingham, Burlison and Grylls, George Farmiloe, and Caroline Benyon.
How All Saints Church Serves the Community
All Saints is a busy and active church right in the heart of Odiham. Even though its history goes back to the 13th century, it's still a growing church that plays a big part in the community today.
The church is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. On Sundays, it offers three different services: a traditional worship service at 9:30 AM, a more relaxed family worship with a Children's Church at 11 AM, and an evening service once a month. The current Vicar (the main priest) is Rev'd Chris Dudgeon.
The church works closely with the village and nearby areas. It helps the community by offering a food bank, small group meetings, and pastoral care (support for people in need). It also has many activities for children, like holiday clubs and after-school clubs, as well as free community events. The church also connects with other Christian groups and charities, such as Mothers Union and Christian Aid. A group called "The Friends of All Saints' Church Odiham" helps raise money to take care of the church building and its churchyard.
The Music of All Saints Church
All Saints' has a robed choir with about 40 children, teenagers, and adults. They sing during Sunday services and also perform concerts. The choir is connected to the Royal School of Church Music, and all the younger singers follow a special training program called "Voice for Life." The current director of music is Alex Hodgkinson.
The Church Organ
The idea for the current organ came from Ian Ledsham, who became the organist of All Saints' in 2000. Sadly, he passed away suddenly in 2005 before his dream could come true. However, a successful project, led by Tim Paton, made the organ a reality. It was officially dedicated on September 25, 2011, and named the Ledsham Memorial Organ in his honor.
The organ was built by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn. Its design was inspired by 18th-century organs made by English builders like Bernard Smith. The look of the organ's wooden case was partly based on an organ that used to be in Lincoln Cathedral, which dated back to 1662. It has beautiful carved details created by Nick Hunter, inspired by an organ in Framlingham, Suffolk, and other old Renaissance examples. A new gallery was built at the west end of the nave to hold the organ. This gallery has steel supports and a wooden front that looks like the 17th-century galleries on either side of it. The organ case is made of oak wood, with pine used for the back and some of the wooden pipes. The keyboards were made by Verners Kalacis from Latvia.
The Bells of Odiham
The All Saints Odiham Bellringers are a group of people who ring the church bells. They are very involved with the church and its activities.
