As you walk into our church of All Saints, the sense of tradition and history embraces you. The echoes of worship from the past are almost tangible: a deep peace and calm are embodied in its beauty. Nestled in a corner of Swallowfield Park, All Saints has been the village church of Swallowfield, Riseley and Farley Hill for over 700 years. The original chapel was rebuilt by Sir John le Despencer in the 13th century and today it retains many medieval features, including a beautiful, vaulted roof and a Norman doorway, pre-dating the current building.All Saints’ Team
Together with the ministry team we have a hard-working group of volunteers to keep the church running smoothly and help organise events. Some of our team members are...
Malcolm (Brad) Bradley,
Churchwarden
Barbara Stanley,
Churchwarden
Caroline Asteraki,
Treasurer
Clare Pilgrim,
PCC Secretary
Stephen Jenkins,
Bell Ringing
...and numerous other volunteers
“God’s Acre” at All Saints’ Churchyard
All Saints' Church is not just a beautiful and historic building. A large part of its appeal lies in its rural and peaceful situation set apart from the villages that it serves. People came to visit the churchyard to sit on the bench in the sun, to look at the gravestones, to spot the many varieties of birds and to enjoy the profusion of spring flowers. Our churchyard is there for all the community to enjoy and to find repose.
Protecting wildlife, Preserving Heritage, Involving People
We want to do more to look after this piece of land in our trust for the local community. There is a great example in a project called “Caring for God’s Acre”. It has been put together by a non-religious charity dedicated to conserving and celebrating churchyards and encouraging a holistic approach to management.
As well as being a place for people, churchyards can also be a haven for wildlife. We want to work towards surveying the wildlife so than we can put together a management plan to protect and nurture its biodiversity. We need to manage the area to create a haven for wildlife but to keep access to the gravestones that mark so much of local history.
Our churchyard is a fantastic resource for our local community to use and enjoy and we would like to work in partnership with proactive and knowledgeable members of the community. We want to encourage the involvement of local volunteers, and to facilitate the use of our churchyard for events and education projects.
