Church Services - 2008
Back to Headlines

The Village Church has served the needs of our local community for 800 years. It is a place of prayer and peace, a constant reminder of God's presence in an ever-changing world.

In common with all Parish Churches, All Saints in constant need of restoration.

In 1999 , a special All Saints Restoration Fund was set up to refurbish and enhance the interior of the ancient building. The wooden shingles on the spire roof also needed replacing a problem exascerbated by the attentions of a Green Woodpecker which bored holes in the woodwork to extract the insects thriving in the decaying woodwork.

The Church was closed throught the Summer of 2001 for a major restoration and the newly refurbished Church reopened in time for Harvest Festival in the Autumn.

In 2005 in a Pastoral reorganisation of Local Parishes, Farringdon became part of the newly created the Northanger Benefice which brought together the Parishes of Chawton, Selborne, East Worldham, West Worldham Hartley Mauditt, Newton Valence, East Tisted, Oakhanger and Kingsley.

The Reorganisation brought The Reverend Tony Pears and his family to the Farringdon Vicarage and on April 30th 2005 Tony was installed as Priest in Charge of the Northanger benefice at a service in Selborne on the 30th April.

 

The Farringdon congregation were in attendance for the Rev Pears morning service in All Saints on the 1st May, his first opportunity to meet them in his official capacity.

Tony had a busy first Sunday around the parishes, after officiating at his first morning service in Farringdon he was back in the Church for the children's service and then off to Hartley for a Rogation service later in the day with an evening service to follow. As he grew up in Blackmoor, Farringdon is virtually home ground and his local knowledge will be a valuable asset with such a large area to cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gilbert White, the Selborne naturalist, was curate at All Saints for many years before he took up his post as curate at Selborne, in the neighbouring parish.

Although the present church building dates back to the 1300's, structural changes took place in the 19th century under the influence of Rev Thomas Massey, rector for 62 years.

Massey was something of an eccentric with a penchant for building.

He was responsible for the construction of
'Masseys Folly', just across the road from the Church, the building we now use as the Village Hall.

The Rev. Massey died in 1919, before the building was completed, he is buried alongside his wife, near the Church door, their graves marked with Celtic crosses
.

The war memorials and a book of remembrance record the sacrifice of local people killed in action in the two world wars. Other memorials record lives of local people who have served both the church and community in their lifetime.

Visitors to the church can see a stained glass window in the vestry designed by village resident Hugh Powell, who moved to Farringdon in 1958. His work repairing bomb damaged stained glass was much in demand. His also made a window in Southwark Cathedral in London.

Many a village lad mourned the passing of the old hand-pumped church organ in 1969 as it provided a ready source of pocket money.

Ancient wall paintings of an Apostle dating back to 1340 were discovered when layers of old lime wash began to flake off medieval plaster work. In 1988 experts were consulted to carry out an investigation, so that decisions could be made about conservation.

Two paintings were discovered - both 'Dooms' or 'Last Judgements', with Christ as the central figure displaying the wounds of his crucifixion. The paintings were faded in places and difficult to make out, but some details are still clear.

Unfortunately these paintings are in the loft space above the ceiling and are not accessible to visitors, although when the recent repairs were carried out it was discovered that the ends of the ceiling timber supports had crumbled away, with only the plaster work preventing an unscheduled descent, which would have given those of the congregation who were still conscious, a clear view of the old paintings.

The old yew in the churchyard, beside the path from the Lych gate, is certainly an ancient tree, the exact age is uncertain but possibly less than the 3,000 years claimed in some estimates. Whatever the true age, the author of the following verse was obviously convinced the Farringdon Yew was more than 2,000 years old.

Gilbert White was curate here,
For nearly four and twenty years
He daily rode the rural track
From Selborne to All Saints and back.
But long before he came this way,
Old Farringdon had much to say —
For is it true the hollow yew,
When Christ was born, was far from new

---

[Top]

ALL SAINTS CHURCH - FARRINGDON - Services, 2008

[News Headlines] [Top]