1897
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A firm proposal was made to build a church in William Street. "If the William Street people are really keen, there is no reason why we should not get an Iron Church erected there in the early months of next year and make a small beginning with services and Sunday school". At this time the whole of Kettering was a single parish served by clergy based at the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul in the market square.
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1898
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“The committee gives Messrs. Humphreys the order for the Iron Church, the nave of which will be 60 feet in length.” It was not unusual for ‘tin tabernacles’ to be erected in new housing areas. Very few survive today but one example is St Michael’s in Garfield Street.
The opening service was held on April 2nd
On 1st November (All Saints Day) 1898 the building was dedicated.
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1901
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All Saints Church was still a ‘District Church’ served by clergy from the ancient Parish Church of Kettering. It was reported of Father Hugh B Clark, the Priest in Charge of All Saints at the time that “Mr Clark has still not yet found suitable quarters in the district...Mr Clark has secured temporarily a room at 11, William Street, where he can be found on:
Tuesdays from 6 to 8 in the Evening.
Thursdays from 11 to 1 in the Morning.
Saturdays from 2 to 4 in the Afternoon.”
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1903
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The “east window (was) changed.” Clearly people at All Saints set out to enhance the beauty of their iron church building and make it more fit for the worship of Almighty God.
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Postcard from 1907 showing All Saints iron church in "Fred Moore's Kettering" by Tony Smith - published with kind permission of Tony Smith |
1907
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A Building fund was set up to raise money to erect a permanent church building. “Boxes may now be had from the Church for the purpose of collecting money for the New Church. We are asking all who take the boxes to promise to put something in each week, if only a halfpenny.” The vision of local people to raise money to pay for their new church building gives some idea of how important the Church was to them.
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1913 |
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The Parish magazine explained that “All Saints' district contains an increasing population of about 5,000 practically all of the poor classes. The present iron church seats 240, and is entirely inadequate to the needs of the district. The Communicants have increased from 159 at Easter 1907, to 312 at Easter 1912, and now number not less than 350. The cost of the proposed Nave, which is designed to seat 500, and which will be the first portion of a beautiful and dignified building, is estimated at £5000, towards which sum the Building Committee have already received rather more than £1600.”
For the people of All Saints to have raised £1600 in ten years was a massive achievement and reminds us that our church building is only here today because of the sacrificial giving of people, some of very modest means, at the start of the last century. |
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1916
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A red letter day for us. “30th day of March 1916 - at Buckingham Palace the King (George V) ratifies that All Saints Church is a Parish of Kettering and is to be registered as such in the Diocese of Peterborough.” We became a parish in our own right and so “Henry Dunsby was inducted as the first vicar on June 3rd 1916”
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1922
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“The Vicar elected Mr F. Hartley as his Warden.” Francis Bertram Hartley served as Church Warden until 1956.
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1924
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These were the “times of Services at The Parish of All Saints".
Sundays Mass 7.30 and 11 (sung)
Catechism 2.30 (preparation for confirmation)
Bible Classes, Boys' and Girls' 2.30
Holy Baptism 3.15
Evening Service 6.30
Week-days Mass daily except Wednesday and Thursday 7.30; Wednesday 9; Thursday 6
Holy Baptism Wednesday 7.30
Devotions and Intercessions Wednesday 8
Compline and Devotions Saturday 8
Confessions Friday 3 to 4, Saturday 7 to 8”
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1925
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The second vicar of All Saints took over. “The Lord Bishop of Peterborough instituted the new Vicar George Richard Jolliffe Round at All Saints' Church on February 19th.”
Money was still needed to start building the new church. "£1,000 needed for completion of first half of the Church"
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1927
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Work began on the new building with “cutting the first sod" on February 27th and “the laying of the foundation stone of the new Church by the Bishop of Peterborough” on May 7th.
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1928
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On July 21st 1928 there was a Service of Dedication for the new church even though it was only partly built.
During this year “part of the land adjoining the Church was levelled and sown with grass seed. It is hoped now to start a tennis club. Two full courts will be available for the members"
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1931
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"On Septuagesima Sunday, February 1st a Special Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated in thanksgiving for the complete payment of the debt on the New Church".
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1938
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The Vicarage was “now complete and ready for inhabitants (and) was blessed on December 2nd by the Bishop of Peterborough.” The fine building in Pollard Street, adjoining the church grounds, is a far cry from the temporary quarters at 11 William Street used by clergy in the past.
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1954
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During the summer “the font was removed from the Church of St Denys with the Bishop's permission and handed over to a Kettering stonemason.” The mediaeval font from the deserted village of Faxton is installed in the baptistery at All Saints.
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1957
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“It was proposed at a meeting of our Church Council to build the Lay Sacristy of our Church as a Memorial to Frank [Francis Bertram Hartley], for this was a project, as his wife said, which was for ever dear to his heart” Frank Hartley had died the previous year after 34 years as Church Warden.
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1965
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Rev. James Stephen Laker was inducted as the third vicar of All Saints.
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1971
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Phillip Wright became the fourth vicar.
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1977
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The old hall was demolished and the nave of the Church was adapted for multi-purpose use. The building is open for use on every day of the week for use by the local community.
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1983
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Father David Miller became the fifth vicar.
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1996
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Father Ronald Cook, the sixth vicar of the Parish, began fundraising to demolish the old kitchen and build the extension now called the Jubilee Room.
Although the church building never attained the original vision of a nave to seat 500 our present building enables us to serve our community in a large variety of ways.
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2009
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Following the death of Father Ronald Cook in 2007, the living was suspended. Father Andrew Dutton was installed as Priest in Charge on December 3rd 2009.
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2016 |
Celebrated 100 years as a Parish
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2017 |
Father Timothy Dawson was Inducted as the seventh vicar of All Saints Parish
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2019 |
Rev David Walsh installed as priest-in-charge of All Saints Parish, along with Carys (Assistant Priest) and Alice (Curate) |