Church of All Saints, Clifton explained

Church of All Saints, Clifton should not be confused with All Saints' Church, Bristol.

Church of All Saints, Clifton
Other Name:All Saints with St John, Clifton
Pushpin Map:Bristol
Map Caption:Church's location in Bristol
Coordinates:51.4623°N -2.6161°W
Location:Pembroke Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2HY
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Churchmanship:Anglo-Catholic
Dedication:All Saints
Consecrated Date:8 June 1868 (original)
1 July 1967 (rebuild)
Status:Active
Functional Status:Parish church
Heritage Designation:Grade II listed
Designated Date:8 January 1959
Parish:All Saints with St. John Clifton
Deanery:Bristol West
Archdeaconry:Archdeaconry of Bristol
Diocese:Diocese of Bristol
Vicar:Fr Charles Sutton
Reader:Jessica Smith
Liz Badman
Director:John Davenport
Warden:Martin Robinson and Adam Chivers
Parishadmin:Wendy Mortimer

The Church of All Saints is a Church of England parish church in Clifton, Bristol. The church is a grade II listed building.[1] It is located in the Parish of All Saints with St. John Clifton in the Diocese of Bristol.

History

In 1862, a committee was set up to provide a large church for the Clifton area of Bristol. It would be in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and would be a free church with no rented pews. The original church was built between 1868 and 1872 by George Edmund Street. The chancel was consecrated on 8 June 1868.[2] A narthex was added in 1909 by George Frederick Bodley, and a sacristy was added in 1928 by Frederick Charles Eden. The narthex houses the Chapel of Saint Richard of Chichester, built as memorial to Richard Randall, the first Vicar of All Saints, who became Dean of Chichester.

On 2 December 1940, an incendiary bomb set fire to the building, destroying the chancel and nave of the church. Only the tower, narthex, and sacristy remained standing.[3] W. H. Randoll Blacking was the architect chosen to reconstruct the church, but, after much delay, he died before work could begin.

In the 1960s, it was once more decided that the rebuilding of the church should go ahead and Robert Potter, Blacking's partner, was selected as the architect. He reorientated the church so that the altar now faces East. The altar itself is free standing and is set under a ciborium, a four-columned indoor roof. Behind the font is a series of stained glass windows made from fibre glass and designed by John Piper. The new nave and altar were consecrated on 1 July 1967. The same year, a stained glass window designed by Christopher Webb (another former partner of Blacking) was installed in the east window of the narthex; it was Webb's last window (Webb having died the previous year).[4]

On 8 January 1959, the church was designated a grade II listed building.

Present day

In 1978, the parish of All Saints Clifton was joined with that of St John's Clifton to form the Parish of All Saints with St. John Clifton.[5] St John's Church was declared redundant in 1980.[6]

In March 2013, the parochial church council voted to rescind Resolutions A and B, and to rescind the petition for alternative episcopal oversight. With these actions, the parish signalled that it accepts the ordination of women. It remains within the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England.

Archives

Parish records for the Church of All Saints, Clifton are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. P.St ASC) (online catalogue) including baptism and marriage registers and plans of the remodelling from 1963. The archive also includes records of the incumbent, churchwardens, parochial church council, charities and choir school.

Notable people

Clergy

External links

51.4623°N -2.6161°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS. The Heritage List. Historic England. 6 March 2017.
  2. Web site: History. All Saints Clifton. 6 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170511062805/http://www.allsaintsclifton.org/history/history.html. 11 May 2017. dead.
  3. Web site: Profile: Parish of All Saints with St John Clifton. Diocese of Bristol. 6 March 2017. pdf. 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170307045150/http://www.allsaintsclifton.org/All%20Saints%20Parish%20Profile%20Final.pdf. 7 March 2017. dead.
  4. Web site: Church of All Saints, Clifton, Bristol . Visit Stained Glass . British Society of Master Glass Painters and the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass . 28 January 2024 . en.
  5. Web site: All Saints, Clifton. A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. 6 March 2017.
  6. Web site: St. John The Evangelist, Clifton. The National Archives. 6 March 2017.