All Saints' Church, Ryde Explained

50.7272°N -1.1669°W

All Saints' Church, Ryde
Dedication:All Saints
Denomination:Church of England
Parish:Ryde
Archdeaconry:East Wight
Diocese:Portsmouth
Province:Canterbury
Website:http://www.rydeallsaints.co.uk/

All Saints' Church, Ryde is a parish church in the Church of England located in Ryde, Isle of Wight. The building is a landmark of the island, the spire being visible from many places around the Isle of Wight and from the mainland, projecting beyond the skyline.[1] [2] All Saints' is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of the Island"[3] It is a Grade II* ecclesiastical listed building.

Architecture

The church was built between 1868 and 1872 by the architect George Gilbert Scott.[4] The spire was an addition of 1881/82. A previous tradition saw the spire climbed early on the Feast of the Ascension to sing an Ascension hymn.[5]

All Saints' is listed as a 'large' church in ornate Second Pointed style, constructed of stone-rubble with ashlar dressings. There are six bay-pointed arcades with naturalistic capitals. The chancel walls were painted by Clayton and Bell. The vestry - now the choir song school - was added by C Pemberton-Leach in 1891.

There are two side chapels: The Warrior Chapel in the north aisle - which is a memorial chapel[6] [7] - and The Chapel of The Good Shepherd in the south aisle, which was the original sacristy. The pulpit, reredos and font are all typical Scott features,[8] [9] The pulpit is made of Derbyshire alabaster on polished marble columns, and appeared in The Great Exhibition of 1851, winning 1st prize in its class.

The tower contains a ring of eight bells[10] cast by Messrs Taylor and Co of Loughborough in 1866.

There are some fine examples of stained glass windows but these are mostly confined to the north aisle and sanctuary areas, the other windows having been destroyed by enemy action during the Second World War.[11] The window in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd is dedicated to the memory of Samuel Poole (d 1872).

On the north east corner of the church boundary is a Calvary cross war memorial.[12]

Services and worship

Usual Sunday services:[13] 9am BCP Holy Communion Service.First Sunday of the Month 10:30am ¡Saints Alive! informal all age service.Celtic style services and Taize coming soonAll Saints' was, until 2020, the only church on the Isle of Wight to offer a fully sung evensong every Sunday.Other services (subject to change):

Choir

Until recently, an established choir existed at All Saints' which has been tradition since its consecration.[14] The choir used to sing at all main services as well as the additional services listed above and at weddings and funerals. A new choir is currently in formation and will be singing again at services soon.

For many years, the choir has been affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the younger choristers were once trained using the RSCM 'Voice for Life' programme and also occasionally trained with other professionals.[15]

In previous services, music sung ranged from Tallis and Byrd to more modern composers - communion settings by Kenneth Leighton and Grayston Ives and anthems by Malcolm Archer, Colin Mawby, Alan Ridout and Paul Edwards.

Prior to 2016, the choir sung evensong at the cathedrals of Portsmouth, Salisbury, Winchester and Chichester.

Organ

The organ is by Henry Willis dating from 1874. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists and Directors of Music

Performances

The church's acoustic makes it a popular venue for various visiting performers[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] and it hosts the choral section of The Isle of Wight Music, Dance and Drama Festival.[24]

Vicars of Ryde

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Flickr - Photo Sharing!. flickr.com. 5 September 2015.
  2. Web site: All Saints Church, Isle of Wight - YouTube. m.youtube.com. 5 September 2015.
  3. Web site: 1872 - All Saints Church, Ryde, Isle of Wight - Architecture of Isle of Wight - Archiseek.com. archiseek.com. 5 September 2015.
  4. The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nikolaus Pevsner
  5. Web site: Isle of Wight: Message spread from rooftops. iwcp.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  6. Web site: War Memorial: All Saints Church WW1 (WMA-40814). ukniwm.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  7. Web site: Memorials and Monuments on the Isle of Wight - Ryde All Saints Church War memorial chapel. isle-of-wight-memorials.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  8. Web site: Conservation of Island Churches. isleofwightsociety.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  9. Web site: Category:All Saints, Ryde (interior) - Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org. 5 September 2015.
  10. Web site: Steve Noyes - Ryde Bells. noyes.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  11. Web site: Hampshire Church Windows - Ryde - All Saints. hampshirechurchwindows.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  12. Web site: Memorials and Monuments on the Isle of Wight - Ryde All Saints Church War memorial. isle-of-wight-memorials.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  13. Web site: All Saints Church, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Welcome. rydeallsaints.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  14. Dorset County Chronicle - Thursday 3 November 1864
  15. Web site: Masterclass for choir. iwcp.co.uk. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050507/http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/music/masterclass-for-choir-50490.aspx. 4 March 2016. dead.
  16. Hampshire Telegraph - Saturday 9 March 1889
  17. Dictionary of Organs and Organists, First Edition. 1912. p. 305
  18. Web site: Twyford Singers . twyford-singers.hampshire.org.uk . 5 September 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114351/http://www.twyford-singers.hampshire.org.uk/Our%20Conductor.htm . 2 April 2015 .
  19. Web site: Isle of Wight: Sinfonietta at All Saints' Church, Ryde. iwcp.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  20. Web site: Sunday 26 May 2013 6:30 p.m. - All Saints Church, Ryde, Isle of Wight. paulayres.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  21. Web site: ermc-ltd.co.uk/pages/blog?id=11-Karl-Jenkins-Sabat-Mater-All-Saints-Church-Ryde-on-Saturday-16-April-2011. ermc-ltd.co.uk. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225215/http://www.ermc-ltd.co.uk/pages/blog?id=11-Karl-Jenkins-Sabat-Mater-All-Saints-Church-Ryde-on-Saturday-16-April-2011. 3 March 2016. dead.
  22. Web site: Cellist entertains. iwcp.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  23. Web site: Choir plans concerts to help churches. iwcp.co.uk. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043529/http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/music/choir-plans-concerts-to-help-churches-52941.aspx. 4 March 2016. dead.
  24. Web site: iwmcf.co.uk/. iwmcf.co.uk. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222201940/http://iwmcf.co.uk/. 22 December 2015. dead.
  25. Web site: Burial Records - Copyright (c) Ryde Social Heritage Group. rshg.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  26. Web site: Explore Kindred Britain. stanford.edu. 5 September 2015.
  27. Web site: St Marks | Photos Hugh Le Fleming, MA. stmarksjersey.org. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034214/http://www.stmarksjersey.org/photos.php?pgid=2&photoid=1343180208. 4 March 2016. dead.
  28. Web site: Burial Records - Copyright (c) Ryde Social Heritage Group. rshg.org.uk. 5 September 2015.
  29. Web site: Image: img_9267.jpg, (640 × 480 px). 27 October 2012. isle-of-wight-fhs.co.uk. 5 September 2015.
  30. Web site: Canon Patrick Magee - Telegraph. The Telegraph. London. 5 September 2015.

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