All Saints' Church, Norwich is a

Grade I 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, Hi ...

redundant

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

History

The church was largely built in the 15th century, when the nave and north aisle were added, but the chancel dates back to the 13th century. The un-buttressed tower was also built in the 15th century but had extensive repair work done in the 19th century, with the top stage of the tower being added in 1913. There is an

anchorhold In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorites are frequ ...

attached to the church that served religious hermits who chose to live their life separate from secular society. The city records from 1287 to 1288 show that servants of the anchoress were charged with ‘stopping up the Cockey (blocked the common drain) so that no one can pass by there’. It has been suggested that this was done in an attempt to cover up that either the anchoress or her servants were engaged in trade, something that was forbidden for any anchoress. It used to house a spectacular ornate font that featured carvings of saints arranged around the bowl and base. This was moved to St Julian's Church, also in Norwich, following All Saints' being made redundant in the parochial reorganisation in 1973.

Post redundancy

On being made redundant in 1973, Norwich Historic Churches Trust took it over and immediately spent £8000 on making it watertight. From 1979 it housed the All Saints Centre, a community centre set up by Jo Cook. It was used as a place to serve the community and to provide Christian hospitality for the less advantaged. The church was improved during this tenancy to include a commercial standard kitchen and a first-floor room in the aisle. This was originally designed to house the Diocesan Mothers' Union, who moved out in 2003. The church faced an arson attack in 1992, following which there was a large cleaning and redecoration. The All Saints Centre closed in 2015, when it was reopened as an antiques centre and tea room; All Saints Antiques Centre. these tenants are still occupying the building. A gallery was installed at the base of the tower to provide a platform for bell ringers to practice. The Norwich Diocesan Association of Ringers use this as one of their churches on the first Tuesday of every month.

Organ

The church contained an organ dating from 1861 by Corps. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwich, All Saints

All Saints All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday. All Saints, All Saints Day or Feast of All Saints may also refer to: Art and entertainment * ''All Saints'' (film), a 2017 Christian drama film * ''All Saints'' (TV series), an Australian hospital drama * ...

15th-century church buildings in England Grade I listed churches in Norfolk