All Saints, Burton Dassett

All Saints, Burton Dassett

The hills and country park here are plainly visible from the M40 but I had never stopped before. I’m glad I did as this is a place well worth visiting.

There is a Holy Well here, right next to the car park. The building over it is Victorian. The water is rather murky and I wouldn’t want to drink it – but who knows?

The church is on a steeply sloping site and must have been difficult to build in the conventional East West alignment. The floor slopes up quite steeply to the altar.

The signs give a good welcome and several people came in whilst I was there. One family were trying to explain the church to their children. It showed that there is still a lot of ignorance around as to what the Church is for, being open and providing explanation and space fro awe and reflection are ever more vital. A ministry to visitors is not an optional extra in my opinion but a necessity.

I found some good leaflets here – ‘Dassett Magna Church Services: What to Expect’ about the church and ‘When someone dies’ both well done. There is a prayer to take away – The Dassett Magna prayer;

‘Come, Holy Spirit:

fill the hearts of your faithful people

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Strengthen your church here in Dassett Magna;

increase our numbers,

deepen our faith

and pour out your love, through us, on our communities.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.’

This church is also in ‘1000 Best Churches’ and a copy of this is left open so that people can read it. There is a footpath map and a history display, which includes the wall paintings here. And a Bible is left open. One moving thing here is a tomb which on which visitors are invited to remember those who have died. It is full of tributes, some of them very moving. A special church with a prayerful atmosphere. I rate it as very good for this study.