Churchyard Gate
The modern gate is of steel, whereas the gate from 1900 was wooden. There is still the metal hoop overhead, which now supports an electric light. Mains electricity did not reach the village until the early twentieth century. The church is now heated by electric overhead and wall heaters. Note that the churchyard wall is unchanged. There is no longer a hedge just inside it.On the old drawing, note the shape of the roof and compare it to the present steeply-pitched roofline. The diocesan architect, G E Street, made this change in 1864 as part of a major renovation/repair, along with stripping the plaster from the walls and changing the pulpit and font (of which more later).Just inside the gate to your right is a Sequoiadendron giganteum or Wellingtonia Tree. On older pictures it appears relatively small, but now is the tallest tree in the village. Feel the outer surface - the bark is quite soft and grows as the tree gets wider. Also nearby is a very mature Gingko Biloba or 'Maidenhair' Tree. Gingkos are widely regarded as living fossils, as they have existed for at least 170 milliom years. Note the fan-shaped leaves.
Re-interrment of Ancestors
Immediately to the right of the path are two engraved stones marking the reburials of the bones of christians previously buried in the village.One contains the Saxon christians whose bones were discovered when the Cricket Pitch car park was being excavated in 1992. Following investigations which showed that they dated from about 900AD, they were were re-interred at a ceremony on All Saints Day 1995.Information about their discovery and location forms part of our Village Trail.The other stone marks the re-interrment of bones found during excavation in the churchyard to provide drainage for the toilets added in 2009. All human remains found during the digging were repectfully handled and placed in a coffin in this new grave.
War Memorial - First World War
In 1921 the Rev. George Hawkes Field organised the provision of a WW1 War Memorial in the churchyard, and he is pictured in the centre of the front row at the dedication ceremony.[Note the absence of any ladies in the picture...]George Hawkes Field was Rector from 1914 to 1950. With the outbreak of the First World War, he very quickly volunteered to be an Army Chaplain serving with the Leicestershire Regiment, and he was thus away from the parish for several years. He maintained his army connections, and when the Second World War was declared, he became the Civil Defence Organiser for the district. He was liked and respected as Rector and stayed in post for 37 years.The photograph is taken from the west side.Further details about the nine men named on the memorial can be found inside the church.
Medieval Manor House (Site)
Standing here provides a view over the west wall of the churchyard into what is now part of "Middleton Park", an open space managed by MK Parks Trust. Looking nearer, can you make out a higher area surrounded by the remains of ditches. The first ditch is just over the wall here and the other about 25 yards further on. This was where the Lord of the Manor Philip de Aylesbury had his manor house. He was a man of considerable means as Lord of several manors in the MK area as well as others in Bucks. This church is his legacy. He oversaw its extensive rebuilding undertaken in about 1330, so the building is approaching its 700th year.There was a previous church on this site as well as other buildings next to the cricket field - once the site of Glebe Farm and the Saxon Cemetery discovered in 1992. Very little remains of the earlier church here except the chancel arch which has handsome late Norman / Early English capitals. Philip's church has expensive detailing in the masonry which would more often have been found in much more important buildings.
The Porch
The porch is one of the most striking parts of the church. The sides are open with two circular shafts supporting open tracery. Such an elaborate porch helps to show that that the church was built by someone of considerable means, and this is borne out by much of the detail elsewhere in the church. Look for example at the decorative frieze around the parapet, which has unusual animals, including a 'Weasel' and various foliage.The modern porch has glass sides for protection. Various notices are dispayed here, including nearby keyholders if the church is locked.
West end and window
The west end of the church contains two very important functions... the Font and Refreshment area. The latter is an essential place when the community gather after a service.The font, which is thought to date from the fifteenth century, was banished to the churchyard as part of the Victorian restoration. It was used there as a flower trough! It was returned to the north chapel in the church in about 1980 to prevent further weathering. George Lipscomb, the nineteenth century historian, decribes the font as having its basin decorated with slender pillars, although it is difficult to imagine how this can have been. Its simplicity suits the style of the church, and in June 2013 it was returned to its rightful place at the west end of the central aisle of the nave. Its rather ornate Victorian replacement found a new home in the Christian Faith Garden at the local prison - as a large planter!The impressive west window, dating from 1883 in memory of a local farmer, has the theme of baptism across all three panels.
North Door / Toilets
Until recently, this door was superfluous and always kept lock, with a curtain to minimise draughts.It is now the access to our modern toilets, added in 2009 (one for disabled use). This addition, which closely matches the style of the church in its exterior design, was made necessary by today's expectations of a public building and would not have been deemed necessary in 1330!
North Wall
Things you will find along the north wall include:List of Milton Keynes (Middleton) Rectors from the norman period Current members of the church 'management team' Further details about the nine men listed on the war memorial List of all those who served in WW1 (note the 2 Belgians, father and son) The family monument to John Dover, together with his wartime cross The door into the Bell TowerAlong the windowsills, there are small busts of village people no longer alive. These were made by a local artist as part of a social history project, in which he also interviewed and filmed these 10 people. The busts are cast in resin.
Bell Tower
The Tower holds the bells and the clock. On the roof is the flagpole, which flies a suitable flag at certain times of the year. Getting to the roof is a strenuous task. In particular the trap door is lead-covered.All Saints has an active team of ringers and a peal of six bells in a steel frame which was installed in 1935. At that time a new Treble was added. Prior to that there were only five bells hung on an oak frame. The Treble and the Tenor (1887, Queen Victoria's Jubilee) both carry the names of the current rectors and churchwardens. The oldest bell dates from 1614. Interestingly the 4th and 5th were made locally in Drayton Parslow.The bellringers (campanologists!) practice most weeks and are regularly called upon for weddings and special services throughout the year.The church clock was installed as a finishing touch to the Victorian Restoration. It was built in 1869 by the reputable clockmakers, John Moore and Sons of Clerkenwell, London. It still keeps good time, although there are references in the parish magazines just before 1900 which indicate that it had teething troubles! It had to be wound once a week before automatic electric winding was installed in 2006. The strike mechanism used to take 93 turns each week with the actual clock mechanism taking rather less.Note the mimic clock which rotates anti-clockwise, used to set the correct time on the hands outside. The clock faces were regilded in 1997.
Vestry Door
Vestry / Chapel
Although now used as the Vestry and "Children's Church", this substantial space was probably built as a private chapel for the lord of the Manor and his family.There are 2 external doors here - now not used except as emergency exits. Things to note are the elaborate west window, the Piscina (behind the filing cabinets), and the various wall memorials. The memorials are mostly devoted to past rectors and their wives. Unusually their is one to the daughter of Rev. Lambton Loraine and also one to an organist from Chicheley "died and interred in Las Palmas, Canary Islands"...
