Skip to Content
Events
this week
Discounts & Offers

Aldwincle, All Saints

Medieval church in Aldwincle

The name of Aldwincle is derived from the two elements ‘Ealda’s nook’. Ealda was the landowner and the village sits in a line of hills beside the valley of the River Nene. Some say that the ‘wincle’ element refers to the great double bend in the river nearby, between Thorpe and Wadenhoe.

The pinnacled and carved fifteenth-century tower for the church dominates the surrounding countryside. The elegant medieval interior is almost cavernous in feel with few furnishings, offering a rare chance to see its beautiful limestone arcades and arches up close. Look out for strange carved birds, beasts and other creatures on the exterior. The Chambre chantry chapel of 1489 is also of exceptional quality.

The seventeenth-century poet John Dryden was born at the Old Rectory, opposite the church in 1631. His mother’s Father, Henry Pickering, was rector here for 40 years; he died in 1637 aged 75 and is buried in the churchyard below the east window. In recent times, his inscribed gravestone was brought inside the church for preservation.

There is another medieval church, St Peter’s, at the other end of the village as there was originally two manors and two villages. It proved beyond local resources to continue to maintain both buildings. All Saints’, which has been disused for 100 years was declared redundant in 1976 and transferred to the care of The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. 

Please refer to the Glossary for any terms in the text that you are unfamiliar with.

Contact & Opening Times

Thorpe Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 3EA


https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/church-listing/all-saints-aldwincle.html |
[email protected]|

Opening Times

Church open daily, 11am - 4pm

 

Contact Details

Administered by the Churches Conservation Trust – 01604 862096 or visitchurches.org.uk

Explore the area

Click the pins on the map to see other attractions nearby

Similar places of interest

  • This archetypal medieval church is set in the heart of the village. It abuts a clearly later square tower (1633) topped by a good spire and on the south side a chapel, refashioned in 1621...

  • A 14th/15th century building with very good furnishings. 15th century Rood Screen and pews,17th century three decker pulpit, 18th century box pews. The stained glass dates from the mid...

  • Like the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore St Peter’s is a magnificent mid 19th century memorial church: here to the memory of that famous Crimean soldier General James Brudenell, 7th Earl...

Lets be Social

Follow us on Instagram for what's here, what's on, news & events from our wonderful partners.

Your login details have been used by another user or machine. Login details can only be used once at any one time so you have therefore automatically been logged out. Please contact your sites administrator if you believe this other user or machine has unauthorised access.