All Saints - Braunston, Northamptonshire.
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member SMacB
N 52° 17.439 W 001° 12.853
30U E 621794 N 5794866
A church at Braunston has overlooked the village and the villagers for over 10 centuries and the canals and the boat people for over 300 years. This structure dates from 1848.
Waymark Code: WMTX59
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/17/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 0

"Otherwise known as the "Cathedral of the Canals", it has existed since the early 13th century. However, the land on which is stands has been sacred for longer still, as it was used as an ancient tumulus for the local farmsteads as early as the 10th century, although little evidence to this time is available.

Although the original Norman structure was nearly demolished when the site was polluted by several murders in 1290, the church was later rebuilt in the 14th century. The second incarnation of the church served the area for over 400 years, until the site was demolished, with authority from Rev. Alfred Butler Clough in 1848, due to dilapidation of the structure.

The third incarnation of the church cost £6,800, money raised primarily through donations and aided by grants from the Church Building Society and the Peterborough Diocesan Society. Notable contributors to the funds also include Her Majesty the Queen Dowager and the Oxford Canal Company.

In outline the new church was similar to its mediaeval predecessor in having no north chancel. The body of the church was made wider to provide accommodation for the enlarged population which had followed the coming of the canals. The new church had the number of seats increased from 363 to 732. Despite the overwhelming impression of space and light the interior design of the church was rather austere. The biggest change made was in the appearance of the chancel itself which was transformed by redecoration. This was the work of the leading High Church designer, William Butterfield, architect of Rugby School.

Today the church still provides regular services to the area, and often allows visitors to tour the ancient grounds, on non-service days. Several relics have been kept by the church since its original incarnation, such as:

A sculpture, almost certainly in memory of William, Fourth Baron Ros, who died on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1352. The De Ros family held the Braunston Manor from 1200 to 1508.
The Church Chest, which once housed the Parish Records dating from 1538 and now deposited in the County Records Office in Northampton.
The Norman Font, the only remaining part of the first church on the site.
The Piscina, a stone basin used for draining water used in the Mass pre-Reformation.
The Head of the Churchyard Cross, possibly fourteenth century which has on the four sides the remains of carvings of the Crucifixion, the Madonna and Child, a robed ecclesiastic and a warrior."

SOURCE - (visit link)
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1848

Age of Church building determined by?: Church website

If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Anglican

Street address of Church:
All Saints' Church
71 High St
Braunston, Northamptonshire England
NN11 7HR


Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]

Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]

If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed

If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Not listed

Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed

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