All Saints with St John
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All Saints, with its sister church St John, forms a team of Anglican churches serving Kingston upon Thames in Surrey. It is set between the ancient Market Place and the busy shopping centre and has strong relationships with the residents, businesses, schools and University in Kingston but also draws its congregation from a wide area. The church is open every day of the week, mainly due to the presence of lay vergers, and visitors are very welcome. On weekday mornings from 11-12am a group of trained listeners are available to offer pastoral support to people who wish to speak with someone in confidence. Coffee is available in the church on Monday to Saturday mornings. On Mondays throughout most of year lunchtime concerts are given by a variety of young and established musicians. Holy Communion services are held on Tuesdays (12.30pm), Wednesday (1.10pm) and Thursday (10.30am). The Church has a long-standing, strong musical tradition. It has a choir of forty men, boys and girls, with sung Eucharist and Evensong every Sunday and occasional weekday choral services. The Frobenius organ, installed in 1988, enhances the worship of the Church and has been used for recordings and recitals by some of the world's finest organists. It is a measure of the importance of Kingston Parish Church in the history of this country that in her Jubilee year, the Queen came here to unveil a stone commemorating the crowning of her predecessor Edward the Elder on this site 1100 years ago. Indeed, there are few churches with a more fascinating history: Egbert, King of Wessex, held his great council here in 838 and Athelstan and Ethelred the Unready were two more of the seven Saxon kings of England crowned here in the 10th century. Construction of the present church was begun in 1120 under the orders of Henry I, and almost every century since then some extension or addition has been made. The church boasts a 14th century wall-painting of St. Blaise, the impressive 16th century tomb of Sir Anthony Benn, a 17th century marble font attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, twelve bells and an 18th century Carillon, the great west window of the 19th century, and the magnificent Frobenius organ installed in 1988. It is a member of the Local Ecumenical Project (LEP) in Kingston Town Centre, with its partners the United Reformed Church in Eden Street and Kingston Baptist Church in Union Street. We join together for acts of worship, study groups and social activities. The importance of Kingston Parish Church to the community is immense. For those who live or work in the Royal Borough, this church touches their lives in many ways: as a place of worship, as a location for community events, as a major arts venue and concert hall, as the civic church and, beyond all these, as a place to rest and reflect in a busy town centre. What's New
Pew Sheet -
Click for the Maps/Transport page to get local maps and information about travelling to the Church, local transport and parking.
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