All Saints' Church is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

which stands on a hill at the centre of

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

, a small village on the outskirts of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England. The current Gothic church was designed by architect John Pinch the Elder and completed in 1832, although it retains the 15th-century tower of its predecessor, All Hallows Church.

Churchyard

There are over 90 tablets in the churchyard and more within the church, with some going back to the 12th century. The church kept excellent records which indicated that most of those buried here had no connection with the town but chose the spot for their final repose because it was an idyllically isolated community, away from the smog and congestion of Bath. This popularity lasted for over 200 years.

Medieval church

An early church is mentioned by

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in an 1156 Bull. Jordanus, the first vicar, arrived at Weston in 1297. In the 15th century, All Hallows Church was built but was demolished in 1830 to create a larger space for a growing community, with only its tower surviving. The church bells were recast by Thomas Bilbie of the

Bilbie family The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers based initially in Chew Stoke, Somerset and later at Cullompton, Devon in south-west England from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. Their importance to the local economy and i ...

Chew Stoke Chew Stoke is a small village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the affluent Chew Valley, in Somerset, England, about south of Bristol and 10 miles north of Wells, Somerset, Wells. It is at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, ...

in 1739, and were repaired and retuned between 1952 and 1953. Today the tower has six bells from 1739 and two from 1952.

Victorian church

The new church of All Saints was consecrated on 2 June 1832. It shares some similarities with Pinch's other works at St. Mary the Virgin, Bathwick and St. Saviour,

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, although both of those examples were new-builds and are defined by tall western towers, whereas All Saints is more diminished. New seating with new transepts and a chancel were added between 1880 and 1893, and new clergy and choir vestries were added in 1909. The church furnishings and internal program have been remodelled several times since then and recently a restoration was undertaken of the tower. Near the tower door is a 19th-century font, and on the West Gallery are displayed William and Mary's royal coat of arms. The church was designated as

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in 1955.

Notable features

On the south aisle is the St Alphege window, which "commemorates the famous saint whom tradition says was born in Weston (St Alphege became the Abbot of

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

and then

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

). Also depicted is Guthram, King of the Danes, submitting to King Alfred and accepting Christianity." In the south transept, there is a "monument to Alderman Sherston dated 1641; he was Mayor of Bath in 1632. In a niche in the north wall of the chancel is found the oldest monument in the church from the 12-13th century. This is a stone

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

lid that was found under the south porch during the rebuilding of the church in 1830." Other monuments include one of 1699 honoring John Harrington of Kelston, and a monument to "Dr William Oliver (of biscuit fame) whose family owned Weston Manor for many years."

Pevsner description of the church

"Other than the simple C15 Perp ndicularw sttower, the church was rebuilt in 1830-2 by John Pinch the Younger. E Harbottle of Exeter added the chancel and transepts in 1893, and Mowbray A. Green a memorial chapel in 1921. Nave and aisles. Tall lancet-like three-light windows with four-centred arches and Perp tracery. Battlements and pinnacles. Arcade of tall piers of Perp section carrying four-centred arches. The nave is broad and low with a rear gallery ..." orsyth, 295"Plate: Chalice and Cover 1572; Apostle Spoon 1614; Chalice and Paten 1692; Flagon 1739." evsner, 334

References

External links

*
West Facade
at Bath Daily Photo * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, Bath, All Saints Churches in Bath, Somerset

Churches completed in 1832 19th-century Church of England church buildings Grade II listed buildings in Bath, Somerset