All Saints Upper Clatford

As with many old churches, the fabric of All Saints has been altered over the years and one can only come to reasonable conclusions as to its architectural development. What is certain is that this church is unique in Hampshire in the way it shows how Christian church buildings have been altered and adapted to suit current ideas on how they should be used.

There are a relatively high number of pre-Conquest churches in the area which served the needs of the Anglo-Saxon settlements developing along the local rivers. A church existed in *Cladford' prior to 1046, as it is on record that the church and its lands were an endowment to the Benedictine Abbey of LaVieille Lyre in Normandy by William Fitz Osbern. As William of Normandy's 'earliest and chiefest friend, he was made Earl of Hereford and Lord of the Isle of Wight, and the Domesday Survey of 1086 shows the Fitz Osberns still in possession of 'Cladford' with its cultivated land of approximately 100 acres. In the sustained peace after the Conquest there was an upsurge of religious activity, and the oldest parts of the present church - South walls of the Nave and Chancel -probably belong to an aisleless 12th century church. The solid Norman piers with their bead-ornamented abaci, which today support the distinctive and unusual chancel arches, are from an arcade broken through the original North wall when a new North aisle was added. Drastic 17th century alterations left little from this early period, but there is a small Norman window set in the South wall of the present sanctuary, which is thought to have come from the ancient East wall. A late 12th century doorway can be seen re-set in the North wall, and in the sanctuary there is a 12th century pillar piscina, found in four pieces during repairs to the tower in 1908.

The base of the tower is of flint with stone dressings, and the upper stage of rendered brickwork with stone dressings is a form of' Gothic survival', typical of certain Elizabethan work in the Gothic tradition which persisted in provincial areas. In the North window of the belfry there are two portions of an inscribed stone - 'Repaired in the Year of the Lord 1578' - incised with the names of the churchwardens. The six bells in the tower are regularly rung by a local band. The two earliest bells. No.3 and the Tenor cast by Anthony Bond, date from 1621. No. 2 was cast in 1674 by Ellis & Henry Knight of Reading, and No.4andNo.5 by Robert Cor of Aldbournein 1700 and 1721 respectively. The most recent addition, the Treble, was cast by Taylors of Loughbourne in 1967.

All Saints, most unusual and probably unique feature, its two chancel arches, reflects changes in Canon Law relating to the ordering of the Established Church of England. This was revised in 1597 and 1604, when, instead of the old 'high altar', a wooden table was first placed in the body of the nave and later in the chancel, so that communicants could stand in a group around it. All furniture was removed except for a few benches by the walls. The chancel, used only for Communion, was shut off from the nave often by an older screen, which was arranged as an auditorium rather than used for ceremonial as in the past. All Saints' proportions of a typical medieval church made this new concept impractical, so the early years of the 17th century saw drastic alterations which could incorporate this concept of the preaching church. The existing narrow chancel was considered inadequate for the new concept of the Communion service and it was doubled in width. The original Norman arcade was moved to become a screen between the nave and chancel, and a roof, designed to span from the north aisle wall to the south wall, giving the spatial character of the present church, gives a clear and unique picture of this change in Canon Law. The octagonal timber columns were added at a later date to support the original very daring roof. No date for this is recorded. The Jacobean pulpit, with its octagonal sounding board, was probably part of this development, but not in its present position. Archbishop Laud (1633-40) sought to restore altars to East walls and institute altar rails to cut off the altar into a sanctuary, a move strongly resisted by the laity. It is doubtful if the Archbishop had any effect on practices carried out in Upper Clatford at this time, and little change was to be made to the church's structure until the late 19th century. The font is the earliest surviving gift to All Saints, its shallow round bowl standing on an octagonal stem has inscribed on its upper edges • 'Richard Greene of Winterbourne Stoke gave this in 1629', and this is part of the 17th century reordering.

The next major alterations to the church reflected the influence of the Ecclesiological movement which aimed to restore the medieval character of church practice. This involved the altar being placed back on the East wall, the introduction of a robed choir and emphasis on religious ceremonial. In 1890 the North wall was removed and an arcade built to form an additional North aisle. In 1894 the chancel was enlarged and the sanctuary completed. The addition of the vestry in 190 3 completed the building as it is now. The lychgate was a memorial gift in 1905, commemorated by a tablet on the South wall near the door. Gifts to the church remind us of those who have worshipped in this place over the ,, centuries, many of whom are buried in the churchyard. The organ, the lectern and the church silver are among the more obvious gifts. The list of incumbents, beginning with John of Sheppey in 1292, and the thousands of unknown worshippers who have kept the faith, remind us of the importance and continuity of this ancient church in the life of its community.