All Saints' Church Architecture
All Saints’ Walsoken is a Grade 1 Listed Building and consists of a nave with south and north aisles, chancel with south and north chapels, south porch and west tower surmounted by a spire.
The nave and chancel are both late Norman and date from c.1146. The nave consists of fine arcades of 7 semi-circular arches. The arches are finely carved and the piers are alternately circular and octagonal. The chancel arch is elaborately carved and dates from the 13th century and is pierced by a 15th century entrance to a former rood screen. The tower arch is Early English and the south porch and west tower also date from the 13th century. The tower contains a rounded Norman west doorway.
The spire is later and dates from the 15th century and there are several later window insertions throughout. The roofs are mediaeval and the nave roof is a single hammer beam construction with mediaeval canopied figures on the jack posts retaining some of their original colour. Above the tower arch is a 15th century carving of King Solomon and either side of the carving is a 15th century plaster painting depicting the Judgement of Solomon. Above the chancel arch is a 15th century carving of King David with harp. The font dates from 1544 and is an octagonal seven sacrament font. The font is elaborately carved and contains, around the base, a donor’s inscription
Setting
Walsoken church lies amongst orchards. It is an ancient place named from the sea wall built by the Romans. Most of Walsoken has been taken into Cambridgeshire from Norfolk, although
Norfolk has kept the parish church. All Saints Church in Walsoken is one of the finest churches in East Anglia. It is crowned by a splendid medieval tower with four turrets and a spire. The massive Norman arcades are rich with zig-zag mouldings The Chancel rests on banded magnificently carved shafts.
Archive Records at All Saints' Church, Walsoken.
All Saints' registers date from 1558 and comprise baptism, wedding and burial records. Almost all of these registers are now deposited in the Wisbech and Fenland Museum and may be viewed by telephoning the Museum on 01945 583817. In addition to these the Museum holds on our behalf.... Poor Law records, the enclosure award, highways records, Parish Constable and Dyke Reeve records.
The church Parish chest now only has the current baptism and wedding registers. All other records are now in the Wisbech and Fenland Museum. Although all registers are in the museum the church does possess a CD Rom of all baptism, wedding and burial entries and a churchwarden is always willing to assist anybody researching their family details.
Burials at All Saints' stopped in 1883 when a new cemetery was begun adjacent to the churchyard. This cemetery is the responsibility of Fenland District Council who should be contacted for any information relating to burials after 1883. All Saints' has just one Burial register containing a few entries from 1875-1883. The churchyard was closed by Order in Council in 1971 and many of the gravestones were removed.
The records still kept at All Saints may be viewed by contacting the Rector or Peter Wadlow Churchwarden. A small charge is levied.