All Saints Church

Beautiful place

Great. Worth a visit.

Very Tranquil sits in lovely countryside

Beautiful church with a well kept churchyard. Very peaceful

Beautiful area

Old templar church appears to be well maintained.

A great Templar church with interesting things I happened to found open. It is open every day from 10 to 16.Must go!In 1261, Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, second son of King Henry III, granted Down Ampney to Sir Nicholas de Valers, a Templar knight who actually fought in the last Crusade. He and other knights Templar founded the church in 1265, though much of its current shape is the result of a Victorian rebuilding.When the order of Templars was suppressed by the crown in 1315 it passed to the Abbey of Cirencester, who retained it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries, after which it passed again to Christ's Church College, Oxford.It is a cruciform church with a solid square battlemented tower at the west end, that dates to the 14th century, when the south porch was added. The tower has 3 stages and a striking octagonal spire with moulded divisions. The upper stage has 4-bay early english arcade on each face with outer 2 arches blind.Entry is through the south porch which has a square doorway with blank shields above. Empty niches would have contained statues.The nave is supported on lovely pointed arches decorated with a profusion of red flowers, which is quite unique: a reminder of the bubonic plague, when a red rash appears suddenly on the victim's skin.There are a mix of Norman and 13th-century columns in the nave.The Victorian north transept hosts the Hungerford Chapel, a grandiose memorial to Sir James and his son Anthony, successive lords of the manor and owners of Down Ampney House. The gilded, ornate monument dates to 1637 and shows father and son facing each other across a prayer desk in a typically pious pose.I really love the kneelers in England that people use at church service, I always have to control myself for not steeling one!Inside there are a large number of them, who were sewn by local people and some of those who served at RAF Down Ampney. They show emblems of the units. Very beautiful.In the south transept are a pair of effigies.It is Sir Nicholas de Valers, the templar knight associated with the founding of the church. He is clad in full armour, as worn at the end of the 13th century. A hood of mail protects the head and shoulders. Chausses of mail cover the legs and feet. Buckled across the hips is a sword-belt. On the left arm is a heater shield charged with the De Valers arms. He is in the act of drawing the sword. His head rests on a large pillow. His legs are crossed and resting on a curious beast, perhaps a lion, holding the end of the sword in its mouth.The second effigy is on a raised tomb. At each side is a moulded pillar, ending in a tabernacled pinnacle. The front of the tomb is decorated with quatrefoils within diamonds.It is thought to be Sir Nicholas's wife, Margaret Bassett or his daughter and heir of Down Ampney, also Margaret. She is shown in a pious pose. The lady wears a long kirtl to the feet, with tight sleeves. From the shoulders hangs a long mantle. A plain veil falls over the forehead and backwards to the shoulders. The hands are raised in prayer. Her head rests on two pillows. Her feet rest on a dog lying down.She must have been well-liked by the villagers: she built a tower to safely store the villager's tools.This village is the birthplace of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. There is an exhibition of his works in the tower.There are several interesting stained glass windows in the chapel.One shows a series of nautical parables, given by Admiral Charles Talbot in thanks after his ship survived a storm off Sebastopol in 1854.Another depicts the Resurrection Stone and is dedicated to Ralph Vaughan Williams's father.There is also a Memorial Window which commemorates those who served at RAF Down Ampney and includes an image of the Victoria Cross awarded posthumously to Flight-Lieutenant David Lord VC DFC.The Arnhem Memorial Window, shows a Dakota aircraft: a reminder for the airmen who took part in the Battle of Arnhem and flew from Down Ampney Airfield, many of which died.

Visited as part of my interest in World War Two history.Down Ampney had an airfield on which gliders and transport aircraft departed from during D Day and the Battle of Arnhem in 1944.A number of references to this inside the church which I found interesting.The church is full of local history dating back hundreds of years.A beautiful area, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in Down Ampney, you can see where the inspiration for The Lark Ascending came from.