All Saints

Ladbroke church goes back many centuries. Two priests were recorded in the Domesday book and the list of Rectors goes back to 1290. The 13th century chancel is the oldest part of the church building. The nave and tower are 14th century and the clerestories, aisles and spire were
added later.

Inside it's very harmonious as it was restored in 1876 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, better known for the outside of St Pancras Station. The pews, choir stalls, pulpit and organ are all from that restoration, although organ used to be in the chancel. Sir George had relocated several large memorials out of sight in at the base of the tower and when the organ was moved in the 1970s it was decided to bring a memorial forward, choosing that with the cherubs at the base. When it was rehung the fixing points were in exactly the right place, so it must be back now where it was before the Victorian restoration!

The oldest stained glass is in the clerestory windows on south wall of the chancel but most dates from 1876-1914. The great east window was designed by John Hardman Powell and depicts around 90 saints and old testament characters. Keen eyed visitors can find the maker's symbol or rebus in some of the other windows such as the wheatsheaf and tower (showing it was made by Kempe and Tower) and a spider's web (by Geoffrey Webb). 

The carved heads in the porch came from Radbourne, a lost village a couple of miles souteast of Ladbroke. The statue of the recumbent priest was found under the chancel floor during the restoration and the alcove in the south aisle was made specially for it. Most of the floor tiles are Victorian, some echo medieval designs and the trefoil on the altar kneelers mimics the one in the nearby green tiles.

We are not sure who made our 'Christ the King' and 'Good Shepherd' banners but the exquiste designs have recently been brought back to their former glory by many hundreds of skilled hours of work by NADFAS volunteers.