All Saints' Church, Ryde is a parish church in the Church of England located in Ryde, Isle of Wight. The building is a landmark of the island, the spire being visible from many places around the Isle of Wight and from the mainland, projecting beyond the skyline.[1][2] All Saints' is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of the Island"[3] It is a Grade II* ecclesiastical listed building.
Architecture
The church was built between 1868 and 1872 by the architect George Gilbert Scott.[4] The spire was an addition of 1881/82. A previous tradition saw the spire climbed early on the Feast of the Ascension to sing an Ascension hymn.[5]
All Saints' is listed as a 'large' church in ornate Second Pointed style, constructed of stone-rubble with ashlar dressings. There are six bay-pointed arcades with naturalistic capitals. The chancel walls were painted by Clayton and Bell. The vestry - now the choir song school - was added by C Pemberton-Leach in 1891.
There are two side chapels: The Warrior Chapel in the north aisle - which is a memorial chapel[6][7] - and The Chapel of The Good Shepherd in the south aisle, which was the original sacristy. The pulpit, reredos and font are all typical Scott features,[8][9] The pulpit is made of Derbyshire alabaster on polished marble columns, and appeared in The Great Exhibition of 1851, winning 1st prize in its class.
There are some fine examples of stained glass windows but these are mostly confined to the north aisle and sanctuary areas, the other windows having been destroyed by enemy action during the Second World War.[11] The window in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd is dedicated to the memory of Samuel Poole (d 1872).
On the north east corner of the church boundary is a Calvary cross war memorial.[12]
Services and worship
Usual Sunday services:[13]Sunday Services:
Traditional Service (9.30am) a one-hour reflective Church of England service, with organ music, robed clergy and servers.
Contemporary Worship Service (11am) The service includes a band-led worship, a short talk and prayer ministry. Kid's church runs at this service.Mid-Week Services
Celtic Prayer (Thursdays at 9am)
BCP Service (Fridays at 4pm)
Communion Service (First Thursday of the month at 12pm)
Special services and events can be found on the church website www.ryde.church
Choir
Until recently, an established choir existed at All Saints' which has been tradition since its consecration.[14] The choir used to sing at all main services as well as the additional services listed above and at weddings and funerals. A new choir is currently in formation and will be singing again at services soon.
For many years, the choir has been affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the younger choristers were once trained using the RSCM 'Voice for Life' programme and also occasionally trained with other professionals.[15]
Frank H. Simms 1874–1889[16] (afterwards organist of St. Paul's Church, New Orleans, United States of America)
W. Warden Harvey (FRCO) 1889–1894
Rev. J. Godfrey Luard M.A. 1894–1896 said to have been organist at St Andrews, president of the Jeu de Paume de Parc Beaumont in Pau, France (1910–1919)
Godfrey Davis MA ARCO (Director of Music) 2003–2010
John Lea (Director of Music) 2010–2011
Graeme Martin (Director of Music) 2011–2012
John Lea (Director of Music) 2012 and, subsequently, esteemed Director of Music Emeritus
Simon Jarvis BSc (hons), PGCE (Director of Music) 2013–2017
Andrew Cooper Organist and Director of Music 2017–2020
Alan Finch (Director of Music) 2020-
Performances
The church's acoustic makes it a popular venue for various visiting performers[19][20][21][22][23] and it hosts the choral section of The Isle of Wight Music, Dance and Drama Festival.[24]
Vicars of Ryde
[William] Harding Girdlestone DD 1867–1868
Alexander Poole MA 1868–1891
John Shearme MA 1891–1905[25][Hon. Canon of Winchester Cathedral]
