The chancel

At the east end of the church the altar stands on a marble pace or step which was dedicated in 1936 to the memory of Canon Hayes, the first rector of All Saints’, and Annabella his wife. The pace is only slightly wider than the altar but the outer sides are visible. You may also be able to see that, in order to allow space for the celebrant to stand behind it, the altar is positioned forward from the wall. As a result, only the back legs stand on the pace, and the front legs have had to be extended. Nonetheless, the final effect remains perfectly dignified.

Directly above the altar, the great East Window of the church depicts the nativity of Christ, with Mary and Joseph in the centre lancet, flanked by the shepherds and the wise men. This is the earliest of Heaton, Butler and Bayne’s works for All Saints and dates from 1889; when the church was first opened this would have been the only stained glass in the building. On the south side of the chancel are three small armorial windows in memory of various members of Lady Ardilaun’s family. Lady Ardilaun was born Olivia Charlotte Hedges-White, the daughter of the third Earl of Bantry. Her mother was Jane Herbert and you will see a number of Herberts commemorated here. The eagle lectern was another of Lady Ardilaun’s gifts; it was presented in memory of Anne Lee Plunket, sister of Lord Ardilaun and mother of Bishop Plunket, and is made of oak.

From this point please turn back to face the west end of the church and go into the transept to your left.