Church of All Saints, Leighton Buzzard

Last updated

All Saints Church
Church of All Saints, Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard, All Saints Church - geograph.org.uk - 96771.jpg
Church of All Saints, Leighton Buzzard
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Liberal Catholic
Website Church website
History
Status Church
Founded1277
Dedication All Saints
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Administration
Province Canterbury
Diocese St Albans
Archdeaconry Bedford
Deanery Dunstable
Parish Ouzel Valley
Clergy
Vicar(s) Rev'd Catherine Irvine

All Saints Church, Leighton Buzzard is an Early English parish church in the town of Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, England.

Contents

History

The church is dedicated to All Saints and has a 190-foot spire and some outstanding medieval ironwork, graffiti and roofs, "aflutter" with carved angels gifted in the mid 15th century by Alice de la Pole, Countess of Suffolk and grand-daughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. It has been described as the cathedral of South Bedfordshire (by the Bishop of St Albans at the re-hallowing ceremony on 7 May 1989) and is probably the finest church in the county (according to John Betjeman in Collins’ Guide to Parish Churches). Dating from 1277 it is the second church on the site. Such an old structure requires constant attention through its Preservation Trust.

The Church was severely damaged by fire in 1985. The fire happened just as a restoration programme was nearing completion. It destroyed the chancel roof and severely damaged the nave roof, and caused serious structural damage to the tower, spire, and the vestry areas, and a number of the windows were damaged beyond repair. The ring of ten bells was lost as were both the organs. The total cost of the damage exceeded £1.5 million (US$2.4 million). Within 24 hours of the blaze the congregation had begun its second restoration programme in as many years. The 15th-century roofs, described as the church's tour de force, have been repaired, and the fine carvings of angels and saints which adorn them have been repaired or replaced. The spire has been stitched and relined with fresh stone. The tower has been stabilised with a massive internal ring beam.

Serious structural faults were discovered in the tower which supports the spire in 1998, and after a thorough survey of the whole building the following year more problems were uncovered; a seven-phase programme of repair was then drawn up by architect Michael Dales. In the sixteen years which followed, the tower was secured with 262 steel anchors and voids in the walls were filled. Eroded stone was replaced and cement pointing was changed to lime mortar. Other hitherto unknown defects were uncovered and dealt with right around the church, the results of the use of cement, the weather, extreme old age and long-term effects of the fire. Twenty three Kempe windows in the nave were removed and repaired, and other windows were dealt with in situ. One roof was recovered and others repaired. A new external corbel figure was added to the east wall of St Hugh’s chapel to mark completion of this work, it is of Terry Warburton who fundraised and steered the sixteen-year project.

Completion of this project was marked in May 2016 with a special service of thanksgiving. Total cost of this project was nearly £2m.

Parsons / Prebendaries

William Gynewell: fl. 1381 [1]

Misericords

All Saints' has 25 late 14th-century misericords; the weathering on the stalls probably indicates that they were in a builder's yard for some time - which is not as unusual as it may seem - their origin is unknown, some think they may have originated at St Albans Abbey, which was pretty much gutted at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, although this cannot be proved, other suggestions range from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire (there is an historical connection) and more locally Chicksands Priory. It is also worth noting that the fan-shaped slots at the free ends of the stalls are indicative that they have been shortened at some point.

Organ

The organ was rebuilt following the fire of 1985 by Harrison and Harrison of Durham. A specification and photographs of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. [2] Following restoration work of the previous sixteen years on the building a thorough organ overhaul was undertaken in 2018

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans Cathedral</span> Church in Hertfordshire , England

St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peterborough Cathedral</span> Church in Cambridgeshire, England

Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the three high gables of the famous West Front. Although it was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period, its architecture is mainly Norman, following a rebuilding in the 12th century. With Durham and Ely cathedrals, it is one of the most important 12th-century buildings in England to have remained largely intact, despite extensions and restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Redcliffe</span> Church in Bristol, England

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, widely known as St Mary Redcliffe, is the main Church of England parish church for the Redcliffe district of the city of Bristol, England. The first reference to a church on the site appears in 1158, with the present building dating from 1185 to 1872. The church is considered one of the country's finest and largest parish churches as well as an outstanding example of English Gothic architecture. The church is so large it is sometimes mistaken for Bristol Cathedral by tourists. The building has Grade I listed status, the highest possible category, by Historic England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leighton Buzzard</span> Town in Bedfordshire, England

Leighton Buzzard is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary-le-Bow</span> Church in Cheapside, City of London

The Church of St Mary-le-Bow is a Church of England parish church in the City of London, England. Located on Cheapside, one of the city's oldest thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080, by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. Rebuilt several times over the ensuing centuries, the present church is the work of Sir Christopher Wren, following the Great Fire of London (1666). With its tall spire, it is still a landmark in the City of London, being the third highest of any Wren church, surpassed only by nearby St Paul's Cathedral and St Bride's, Fleet Street. At a cost of over £15,000, it was also his second most expensive, again only surpassed by St Paul's Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rouen Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Rouen, France

Rouen Cathedral is a Catholic church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture. It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, and in architecture history as from 1876 to 1880, it was the tallest building in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Edburgha's Church, Yardley</span> Church

St Edburgha's Church is a parish church in the Yardley area of Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building and a part of the Old Yardley conservation area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Nantwich</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval churches, not only in Cheshire, but in the whole of England. The architectural writer Raymond Richards described it as "one of the great architectural treasures of Cheshire", and Alec Clifton-Taylor included it in his list of "outstanding" English parish churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotherham Minster</span> Church in South Yorkshire, England

The Minster Church of All Saints or Rotherham Minster is the Anglican minster church of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The Minster is a prominent example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture and various architectural historians have rated it highly. Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as "one of the largest and stateliest churches in Yorkshire", Simon Jenkins states it is "the best work in the county", and Alec Clifton-Taylor calls it the "glory of Rotherham". With its tall spire, it is Rotherham's most predominant landmark, and amongst the tallest churches in Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bridgwater</span> Church in Somerset, England

The ParishChurch of St Mary, more commonly known as St Mary's, is the main Church of England parish church for the town of Bridgwater, Somerset. Originally founded well before the Norman Conquest, the present church is a large and imposing structure dating primarily from the 14th and 15th centuries, with both earlier remains and later additions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Southampton</span> Church in Hampshire, England

Saint Mary's Church, is the civic church for the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England. Originally founded in circa 634, St Mary's has been the mother church of Southampton since its inception. The present building, now the sixth incarnation of a church on this site, dates mostly to a rebuilding from 1954 to 1956, following its destruction in the Southampton Blitz, except for the notable Grade II listed tower and spire, which date from 1912 to 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Växjö Cathedral</span> Swedish cathedral

Växjö Cathedral is a cathedral in Växjö, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Växjö within the Church of Sweden. According to legend, the cathedral was founded by Saint Sigfrid of Sweden. The first stone church on the site, parts of which are incorporated into the current cathedral, was built in the 1160s. The cathedral has been much altered over time, and its appearance today is largely the result of a far-reaching restoration carried out in the 1950s under the guidance of architect Kurt von Schmalensee. Växjö Cathedral is a hall church with a western tower and a square choir. It was built on a location which was probably used as a marketplace during pre-Christian times. Very few of the cathedral's furnishings have survived from earlier centuries; most of the works of art adorning the cathedral date from the 20th or 21st centuries and many of them are made of glass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunerakerk</span> Church in Rhenen, Netherlands

The Cunerakerk is the main church of Rhenen, Netherlands. During the Middle Ages it was an important pilgrimage site. The church has stored the relics of the Saint Cunera since the 8th century. The tower has a height of 81.8 metres (268 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grote of Andreaskerk (Hattem)</span>

The Grote of Andreaskerk is the oldest church building of Hattem. It is situated in the city centre. It is used by the Reformed Protestant community of Hattem for holding church services. Organ concerts and other musical events are also organised in the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reims Cathedral</span> Church and episcopal seat in Reims, France

Notre-Dame de Reims, known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the archiepiscopal see of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. Reims Cathedral is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Gothic architecture. The cathedral, a major tourist destination, receives about one million visitors annually. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Hitchin</span> Church in Hertfordshire, England

St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham</span> Church in Birmingham, England

St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham is a Grade II* listed Church of England parish church in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham. It is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin, East Barnet</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church for East Barnet within the Diocese of St Albans. It is located on Church Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Andrew, Biggleswade</span> Anglican church in England

St Andrew's Church is the Anglican parish church for the town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, England. The church is Grade II* listed and comes under the Diocese of St Albans. The church is noted for its monumental brass of John Rudying of 1481 featuring the Figure of Death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary the Virgin, Uffculme</span> Church in Devon, England

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the main Church of England parish church for the village of Uffculme, Devon, England. First mentioned in a charter dating back to 1136, the present church has a mixture of medieval and Victorian architecture and is a Grade II* listed building. The church building is notable for its rood screen, the longest and oldest in the county, as well as its tall broach spire, a rare feature on churches in Devon.

References

  1. Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP40/483; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT6/R2/CP40no483/483_0943.htm; 8th entry; William Gynewell, prebendar' & p'son of Leyghton Busard
  2. "The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR".

51°54′53″N0°39′55″W / 51.9147°N 0.6652°W / 51.9147; -0.6652