Take a chance to delve deeper into the history of All Saints’ Church in Loughton at the Heritage Open Weekend this Saturday and Sunday (September 8 & 9).
The church will be open for tours and for you to explore for yourself, plus you can see a bell ringing demonstration and learn more about the newly-restored bells.
The church building has stood in its prominent position in Loughton through eight centuries and many upheavals, including the Reformation, the English Civil War, and two World Wars.
With 800 years of services and prayers and thousands of people through its doors, it remains an important part of the local community today as a place of worship for people of all ages.
During the weekend, there will be a Flower Festival celebrating All the Saints and a fabulous textile exhibition from local textile artist Julienne Hanson.
She has transformed eight bolts of her naturally-dyed and hand-woven woollen cloth into eight garments for the Celtic Saints Brigid, Enda, Brioc, Etheldreda, Aethelwold, Mabon, Erc and Elgiva.
The garments, simply made to show a range of Celtic fashions, will be exhibited together with a pen portrait of each Saint whose memory is celebrated.
The church will be open from 9.30 am – 6pm on Saturday, September 8 and 2pm – 5pm on Sunday, September 9, with refreshments available.
Guided tours of the church will be available at 10am, Midday, 2pm and 4pm on Saturday and at 2pm and 4pm on Sunday (limited to 15 people per tour) and can be booked via the website www.watlingvalley.org.uk/allsaints800
You will also find more information on all the 800th anniversary celebration events and special services.
Never miss news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on www.twitter.com/thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
