All Saints Church, Wyke Regis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Church of England |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active |
| Year consecrated | 1455 |
| Location | |
| Location | Wyke Regis, Dorset, England |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
All Saints Church is a really old church in Wyke Regis, a part of Weymouth in Dorset, England. It's part of the Church of England. This church was mostly built in the 1400s using a special kind of stone called Portland stone. Experts who study old buildings say it's amazing how much of its original 15th-century design is still there! Since 1953, it's been a Grade I listed building, which means it's super important and protected because of its history and architecture. Right across the road from the church, there's a war memorial built in 1919 to remember local heroes.
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Discovering All Saints Church History
This church, All Saints, was built in the mid-1400s. But guess what? There was actually a church on this very spot way back in 1172! The church you see today was finished in 1455. It was officially opened again on October 19th of that year.
The Original Church of Weymouth
For a long time, All Saints was the main church for the town of Weymouth. It was like the central church for everyone. But as Weymouth grew bigger in the 1800s, more churches were needed. So, other churches like Holy Trinity Church and St Paul's Church were built to serve the growing number of people.
A Landmark for Sailors
The church's tall tower stands on a hill, looking out over the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach. Because of its location, the tower was a very important landmark for ships sailing by, especially in the days when ships used sails. Sailors could spot it from far away!
Stories from the Churchyard
The churchyard, which is the cemetery around the church, holds some sad stories. There are unmarked graves of about eighty people who died when a ship called the Earl of Abergavenny sank in 1805. This ship went down in Weymouth Bay after hitting a sandbank. The captain, John Wordsworth, who was the brother of the famous poet William Wordsworth, was among those who died. Also, people recovered from another shipwreck in 1815, the merchant ship Alexander, are buried here too.
Church Improvements Over Time
In 1859, the church got some updates. New wooden seats, called pews, were put in. They also added a new pulpit, which is where the priest gives sermons, and a reading desk. An old gallery inside the church was removed, and the organ was moved to a new spot under the tower. Later, in 1896, a special gate called a lych gate was added to the churchyard entrance. It was designed by an architect named George Fellowes Prynne.
