All Saints' Church, Stamford is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

, situated in

Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...

, England. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The church is on the north side of Red Lion Square which was part of the route of the A1 until the opening of the Stamford bypass in 1960.

History

A Stamford church is mentioned in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

''. None of the original church is still in existence. There is a very small amount of 12th-century stonework, but the bulk of the church dates from the 13th century. Of that date is the exterior blind arcading, an unusual feature in a parish church. Extensive additions were made by the Browne family in the 15th century. John Browne, Merchant of the Staple of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, funded the 15th-century construction. His son,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, Mayor of the Calais Staple, funded and built the steeple. Members of the Browne family are the only people buried inside the church. The late-15th century work is of "considerable inventiveness" in its use of architectural details such as ornamental battlements.

William Stukeley William Stukeley (7 November 1687 – 3 March 1765) was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric ...

was vicar from 1730 to 1747. The parish includes St John the Baptist's Church which was declared redundant in 2003.

Organ

The 1890

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

organ was rebuilt in 1916 by

James Jepson Binns James Jepson Binns (c. 1855–11 March 1928) was a pipe organ builder based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Organs Pipe organs at the following locations were either built or rebuilt by James Jepson Binns or his JJ Binns company. A number o ...

Organists

*c.1840: F. R. Barratt *????–1847: Mr Shearman *1847–????: Miss Burton *????–1883: Frank Ketcher (afterwards organist of

St Deiniol's Church, Hawarden St Deiniol's Church, Hawarden, is in the village of Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales. It is the parish church of the rectorial benefice of Hawarden in the deanery of Hawarden, the archdeaconry of Wrexham, and the diocese of St Asaph. The church has ...

) *1885–1895:

Haydon Hare Haydon William Hare FRCO (2 July 1869 – 22 April 1944) was a composer and organist based in Great Yarmouth. Life He was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, the first child of Thomas and Mary Ann Hare. He was educated at King's School, Peterbo ...

''Stamford Mercury'', Friday 1 February 1895 (afterwards organist of St Nicholas' Church, Great Yarmouth) *????–????: P. J. Murrell *1997–2008: Jeffrey Beeden *2008–2011: Jeremy Jepson (previously St George’s, Windsor Castle) *2011–2012: Anthony Wilson *2012–2013: Michael Kee *2014–2020: Fergus Black *2021–2023 : Jeremy Jepson

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stamford, All Saints' Church Church of England church buildings in Lincolnshire Grade I listed churches in Lincolnshire 13th-century church buildings in England Churches in Stamford, Lincolnshire