All Saints' Church, Uplands, Stroud

All Saints' Church stands high on All Saints Road at Uplands, on the hillside north of the middle of Stroud. Temple Moore designed it, and it was built from 1907 to 1910 and finished to his plans by Leslie Moore in 1932. Historic England lists it Grade I for the quality of its design by one of the great figures of the late Gothic Revival.

History

All Saints' was built for a new suburb. In the 1860s houses spread up the slope at Uplands, then in the parish of Painswick, and in about 1868 an iron mission church was put up to serve them. It lasted until 1910, when All Saints' replaced it, and the benefice became Slad with Uplands, which tied the new church to Holy Trinity at Slad in the next valley.

Temple Moore and Leslie Moore

Temple Lushington Moore (1856 to 1920) trained under George Gilbert Scott junior and designed about 40 churches. The foundation stone at Uplands was laid in 1908, and the nave, chancel and aisles were built from 1907 to 1910. After Moore's death his son-in-law and partner, Leslie Moore, carried on to the original design: the north chapel was finished in 1926, and the west tower and its porches in 1929 to 1932. The architect H S Goodhart-Rendel thought it one of Moore's most characteristic designs, and the listing praises its quality and consistency.

What to look for

Outside, the church is built of local limestone dressed with Minchinhampton stone, and the west tower carries a short broach spire covered in tiles, which the listing calls uncommon in Gloucestershire. Because the ground falls away to the south, the vestries and a schoolroom are tucked into a crypt beneath the south side. The tracery mixes several Gothic styles freely, and is most striking in the big six-light west window.

Inside, the walls are bare ashlar and the glass is mostly clear, so the space is light and calm; Verey and Brooks, in the Buildings of England, call it coolly serene. Look for:

• The unstained timber tunnel vault that runs over nave and chancel as one, with dark stained ceilings over the south chapel and north aisle
• The arches on either side of the chancel, which narrow towards the east so the church seems to quicken towards the altar
• The oak choir stalls, designed by Leslie Moore and made in 1929 by Peter Waals, Ernest Gimson's cabinetmaker, and his litany desk of 1935 in the north chapel
• The oak pulpit with a panel of flamboyant tracery on each face, the plain octagonal font on four marble shafts, and the nave chairs, probably the originals

Stroud's local history society adds that the vicar, the Rev Cyril Hodson, climbed the scaffolding and fixed the weathercock to the spire himself.

Visiting

All Saints' is a working parish church, and its page on A Church Near You says it is not open to the public except for services, so a look inside means coming to a service; visitors are welcome at them. The same page lists guidebooks for visitors, a hearing loop and large print. The outside, with the spire against the hill, can be seen from the road at any time. Contact the church through A Church Near You before making a special journey.

Getting there

All Saints' is on All Saints Road at Uplands (GL5 1TU), a steep walk of about 700m up from St Laurence's in the town centre. Stroud station is a little over 1km away on foot, and the town's car parks, such as London Road (GL5 2AJ), are at the bottom of the hill. There is no church car park. None of our walks passes the church, but the walk on Rodborough Common starts a short drive south of the town.

Nearby

Salt Bakehouse and Woodruffs are on the way down into the town. In the middle of Stroud, St Laurence's Church has another screen made by Peter Waals, beside the Old Town Hall in the Shambles. Over the valley, All Saints' at Selsley is another Grade I church of the Gothic Revival. Our story on the Arts and Crafts movement tells the story of Gimson, Waals and the craftsmen of the Cotswolds.