all saints' church, basingstoke
The BUILDUNG
All Saints was built during World War One taking just two years to build, and costing £17,168. The church was paid for by a wealthy clergyman living nearby, The Revd Alexander Titley Hall, and opened in 1917. The church was designed by Temple Moore a well known architect who usually tried to make his churches look as if they were older than they really were, ideally dating back to the Middle Ages. All Saints is built of brick, but the outside is faced entirely in Chilmark stone. The architectural style could be described as late Gothic Revival. (See our History page for more details)
From the outside All Saints looks strong, tall, and most people think looks bigger than it really is. Moore often used clever visual tricks to make things look bigger, older, further away, or more expensive than they really were.
Inside the visual focus is the High Altar, but overall the church seems lofty, bright, and pleasingly proportioned. There are chairs rather than pews, most of the woodwork is matching antique oak, and the building and furnishings are in the gothic style throughout. The atmosphere of services is enhanced by the tone of the pipe organ.
In keeping with Gothic fashion and medieval practice the chancel and sanctuary, the parts of the church closest to the High Altar, are more decorated, with painted ceilings, richly decorated reredos and highly detailed stained glass. The contrast with the west end of the church, around the font, is striking but works well. Here the limestone floors, Chilmark stone walls, and the golden light from the east window make for plainer, cleaner lines.
The Basingstoke Parish Vicar (1905-1936), Rev H W Boustead, was described as “a decided and consistent High Churchman”. He was an active member of the English Church Union, the pressure group for the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church of England. It seems reasonable to assume that his views influenced the interior design of All Saints’ which continues to provide an opportunity for worship in the Anglo-Catholic style.
A description of All Saints' written in 1983 by the then Team Vicar, Rev (later Canon) Keith Walker
ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH:
HOUSE OF GOD AND THEATRE OF GOD
Keith Walker 1983
The Church was opened for public worship in 1917. It was originally a daughter Church of St, Michael’s, but became part of the Team Parish of Basingstoke when that was formed in 1975. It is dedicated to all the Saints of the Church, known and unknown, Pevesner described the building as “noble”, and it ranks as one of Basingstoke’s finest edifices. The architect, Temple Moore, was one of the best ecclesiastical architects of his generation, and this building is a fruit of the Gothic revival, which is related in turn to the Catholic revival in the Church of England in the nineteenth century. It is both useful for the purpose of its construction and symbolic of it.
Externally, the style of architecture and the colour and texture of the Bath stone combine to suggest the strength of a fortress and the hidden charm within. It withstands and trans-figures the world and echoes earth and heaven. The surrounding grass and flowers augment this effect. The interior is not gained easily. Some break with the world and personal decision is required to move from without to within (James 4, 4). Once inside we are struck by the austerity and nobility suggested by the lofty space and the soft light colour of the walls.
Our natural movement is to the baptistery, so that our start in the Church coincides with our start in Christian life. Above the font is a large window letting light usefully into the building and symbolising the brightness of new life in Christ. Below the window is the bronze “Head of Christ” by Dame Elisabeth Frink (1983). As baptism is a dying and rising with Christ it is appropriate that the mystery of his person, facially expressed, should dominate this portion of the Church.
As we turn from the baptistery our eyes are inevitably drawn to the high altar. Everything converges on that point. It is there that colour is most evident; the movement of the building is to that point; no distraction hinders our progress to the place where our Lord is known to us in bread and wine. Yet the building does not encourage familiarity with holy things. Thus the arches in the chancel and sanctuary are smaller than those in the nave, and the doors behind the high altar are small. This device creates the illusion of distance from the place where we long to be. The ceiling of the nave is attractively painted in red and white. White for God and red for his Spirit, but the holy name is only visible when we come to the ceiling of the chancel and sanctuary. Our walk to the altar also represents our pilgrimage to heaven, and echoes the soul's penetration of itself to the altar of the heart.
The nave is distinguished but not separated from what lies beyond. We are made to pause at the rood screen and the gates. By God’s gracious act in Christ we are drawn into fellowship with the divine. Hence the crucified Jesus with attendant Mary, John and angels (John 19, 17-30).
The plain metal gates beneath the rood screen remind us " that in choosing God we must forsake self-centredness (Matthew 7, 13-14). The adjacent pulpit and lectern, where the recorded word of God is read and expounded, ensure that the conditions of salvation are understood, and shining candles hint at the glory ahead. Only a touch is needed to throw back the gates. So we pass into intimacy with God, whether in approaching the altar, passing from this life to the next, or discovering the altar in the heart.
Having entered the sacred area we find that we are elevated two steps. The choir stalls suggest the joy of salvation and the heavenly choirs. Steps continue to elevate us as we approach the altar, and the colour of the reredos and east window, depicting Christ, his apostles and biblical scenes, gives splendour to the occasion of holy communion, as the burning candles symbolise Christ, light of the world, and the illuminated soul. The crowned holy name on the ceiling reads IHS. These letters mean Jesus, Jesus Saviour of Man, In This Sign (Conquer). We have Jesus as our Companion. The Lady Chapel to our left reminds us of the close association of Mary with Jesus, and of the feminine principle in religion. It also reminds us to engage the intuitive part of our nature as we seek to penetrate our own souls. There are seven steps leading to the altar and seven arches along the church, three of them in the sacred area. Three and seven are holy numbers, three being a sign of the Trinity.
After communion we leave the sacred area by passing through the metal gates and descending two steps. Thus the holy moment does not last in this life, but we are fortified until we return to the altar, whether of heart or Church, and what we experience in these places is a precursor of that heavenly feast that does not end.
[Transcribed from a copy of the original 1983 article supplied by Phil & Ros Turrell]
Heritage Open Days give people the chance to celebrate their heritage, community and history. All Saints’ Church in Basingstoke, has regularly opened its doors during the national Heritage Open Days event for people to come and visit and learn a little about the rich history of the church and the church bells that have been rung for decades.
The accompanying promotional video was produced for the Open Days event in 2019.