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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)
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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,
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Our Lady
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St Joseph
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Mary Magdalene
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Sacred Heart
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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.