Work begins on George Bodley’s design for a new Anglo-Catholic church.
History and heritage
An Arts and Crafts gem with a living purpose
“The finest church of entirely modern foundation in Somerset.”
Designed for beauty in worship
At the end of the Victorian period, Oxford Movement influences reached a rapidly growing Weston-super-Mare. George Bodley—Royal Academician and RIBA Gold Medallist—was invited to design a church worthy of the town.
The result is a broad, light-filled building of Mendip limestone and Bath stone, with decorated arcades, wagon roofs and an acoustic that continues to serve worship, concerts and recordings.
A living timeline
All Saints opens for worship.
The east window by Charles Kempe becomes a First World War memorial.
F. C. Eden completes the south aisle and Lady Chapel.
Robert Potter adds the south porch and its celebrated Madonna and Child.
Stained glass from the former St Saviour’s Church is installed in the Lady Chapel.
Craftsmanship throughout
Bodley designed the rood screen, choir and wardens’ stalls, font, vestments and frontals. His oak pulpit was carved by Zwink in Oberammergau, while seven statues represent the Word through saints and their symbols.
The Lady Chapel
Eden’s Lady Chapel is prized for its early twentieth-century east window and unusual central statuary. Glass from St Saviour’s connects the two churches’ histories within the present building.
The sanctuary
The east window portrays the Crucifixion and the Archangel Michael overcoming evil. Furnishings remain part of a working church rather than a static collection.