All Saints is an

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

in the centre of the village of Botley, in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England. Built in the 1830s to replace a church, St Bartholomew's, south of the village, it was expanded in 1859 and the 1890s. Further expansion followed in 1967 and in the early 2000s. Described as "an uninteresting specimen of its time", it is a Grade II

listed building 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 ...

History

Following the partial destruction of St Bartholomew's in the early 1830s, a replacement church, dedicated to All Saints, was constructed between 1835 and 1836 as a result of a petition to the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' the offic ...

and much fund-raising. The parcel of land on which the church is built was given by James Warner (Snr) and the foundation stone was laid on 11 June 1835. The new church was closer to the centre of the village; parishioners were finding it increasingly troublesome to take the path across the fields to the old church. The yellow-brick

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church, designed by

James William Wild James William Wild (9 March 1814 – 7 November 1892) was a British architect. Initially working in the Gothic style, he later employed round-arched forms. He spent several years in Egypt. He acted as decorative architect to the Great Exhibition ...

, was consecrated on 22 August 1836 at a service with a congregation of 700. The Walker's organ was installed in 1852. The present chancel and choir vestry, by John Colson, were added in 1859. Further large increases in population made expansion necessary, and

Thomas Graham Jackson Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet (21 December 1835 – 7 November 1924) was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Co ...

undertook more work in 1892 and 1895. The north wall was removed and replaced with an arcade supported by oaken pillars on stone bases. A lower outer wall was built of stone crowned by a parapet. This, with the installation of dormer windows to improve the interior lighting, greatly improved the northern aspect of the building by reducing the large area of slated roof visible from the ground. The work was completed and consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on 25 October 1892. With this increase in seating capacity the gallery across the west end was removed and the access from the tower filled in. A

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

across the west end was added in 1895. The church room was built in 1967. On 2 October 2006, work began on an extension to the west end of the church. The narthex was removed and foundations laid for a two-storey extension. Funding for this work was provided by a substantial legacy from the Maffey sisters and the fund-raising of parishioners. The extension was completed in 2008. The church is described as "an uninteresting specimen of its time". Its only ancient features - all retrieved from St Bartholomew's - are the font (12th century, recovered from a field in 1740), a monument (c. 1330) in the south wall, and three bells (dating from c. 1420).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Botley, All Saints church Church of England church buildings in Hampshire Grade II listed churches in Hampshire All Saints, Botley Churches completed in 1836