The Sanctuary

Anyone entering All Saints will be immediately struck by the wide open Sanctuary with its centrally placed stone altar reminding us thatthe celebration of the Mass is the heart and soul of all that we do. Above the altar now hangs the newly-restored hanging Rood first installed in 1934 in memory of Fr Leary, Vicar of All Saints from 1896-1907. This was designed by Cecil Hare (of Bodley & Hare)

St George Chapel

In the South Transept we fine the altar of St George, designed by Martin Travers, a memorial to the men of All Saints who gave their lives in the First World War. This transept, and the Lady Chapel next to it, was the parts of the church completely destroyed in September 1940 by and incendiary bomb and rebuilt after the war. During that time the people of All Saints worshipped in St Columb's; once All Saints was re-opened, St Columb's was handed over to the Serbian Orthodox and is now their cathedral of St Sava in Lancaster Road next to the Library,

Walsingham Chapel

In what was the south porch, we have a small Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham. Fr Twisaday was much involved in the early days of the restoration of pilgrimages to Walsingham (in the 1930s) and the statue above the altar was one of the earliest to be made and placed in a church away from Walsingham itself. The outer doors were replaced by the large window in the 1970s, providing a focus of devotion for passers-by.

Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel has recently be restored in accordance with the original Victorian decorative scheme, with stencilling on the wall and gilded and painted decoration around the windows. The altarpiece by Sir Ninian Comper, in his well-known style, was installed after the war, together with the two stained glass windows, also to his design. The altar-piece shows three of the joyful Mysteries of the Rosary - the Nativity of Our Lord in the centre of the lower panel, the Annunciation and the Visitation in the side panels above - flanking the last of the Glorious Mysteries, the coronation of Our Lady, in the centre. In the window above is another of the Glorious Mysteries, the Assumption of Our Lady.

St Columb

On the north side we come to what is now the Chapel of St Columb. The altar is the old High Altar from St Columb's church surmounted by another altarpiece by Sir Ninian Comper honouring the saint. In the panel at the top we see the saints bearing in his hand the abbey church of his island of Iona saint with his 12 companions and on the right Columba at the end of his life together with the faithful packhorse who, sensing that his master's end was near, came to weep and mourn for him. Beneath the central representation of the Crucifixion of Our Lord is the tabernacle for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.


Statues

The statue of St Mary Magdalene half-way along the south side of theChurch was designed and executed by M Dupon of Bruges, as were those of St Joseph (on the north side of the church) and St Anthony of Padua (in the north glazed porch). The stone canopy above St Antony is a copy of the canopy above the gatehouse of St John's Hospital in Bruges. The original of the statue of St Joseph is to be found in the church of Our Lady in Bruges, and another copy is in the Shrine Church in Walsingham, where a lamp burns constantly beside it for the members of the Guild of St Joseph, established at All Saints by Fr Twisaday as a Guild of servers, but now open to all members of All Saints who gave practical assistance in maintaining our worship.

The statue of Our Lady was rescued from St Luke's Church, which used to stand at the junction of St Luke's Road and Tavistock Road but which was destroyed in the war. Above the archway on the north side stands the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, designed by Martin Travers.

 

Our Lady St Joseph Mary Magdalene Sacred Heart


Calvary

At the west end of the north aisle is the Calvary, designed by Cecil Hare as a memorial to Fr Twisaday's predecessor as Vicar, Fr Herbert Ridley (Vicar from 1907 to 1931).

The Calvary is used for various activity throught the year. Over the Easter period, the Calvary undergoes a few changes, starting with Holy Thursday where the Calvary is transformed to be the resting place for the Blessed Sacrament. On Holy Saturday it is once again transformed for the Easter Vigil and becomes Easter garden. During the month of November the Calvary is used for the rememberance of the souls of the departed. At Christmas it is the location of the Crib.

 


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