Image courtesy of Rev Kevin Conroy
All Saints Church
The foundation stone for a new church to be designated “All Saints’ Church’ was laid on 15 Sep 1868 at 1pm. The stone was laid, with the help of workmen, by Matthew Pollock, rector's churchwarden of Stillorgan using a silver trowel and silver mallet*.
The church was intended to be a place of worship for the new parish of Newtown Park. This new parish comprised of the village of Newtown Park, Proby Square and included twelve of demesnes in the area and had been approved by his Grace, the archbishop of Dublin, Richard Chenevix (Trench) with the consent of the incumbents of Kill, Monkstown and Stillorgan. The church was to accommodate 250 persons and was expected to cost £2,200 exclusive of spire (an additional £300 if built at the same time). This was post dis-establishment (no more tithes) so the Ecclesiastical Commissioners committed a third of the sum. An endowment of £75 per year would also be required to which the commissioners would augment to the sum of £25 so the new vicar would receive a salary of £100 per annum. The architect/CE was John McCurdy, who would also supervise the work, and the building contractors were Messrs James & William Beckett of South King Street, Dublin. (Drawings for the church are online at the RCB Library). John was the architect for the Marine Hotel, Kingstown, the Museum building at Trinity College and the rebuilding of the Shelbourne Hotel. For a time he lived on Newtownpark Avenue. The officiating clergyman was the Rev Dr Thomas Sill Grey, rector of Stillorgan. A bottle, and a number of gold silver and copper coins were placed under the stone. £2755 had already been raised towards the building of this church by subscription. The Church on a picturesque site on Carysfort Avenue including a spire was consecrated on 21 Apr 1870 by the archbishop of Dublin and was described as ‘built of brick dressed with rustic hewn granite. The style is early English Gothic, the tracings of the widows are made of sandstone. It has a commodious side aisle and transept supported by three granite pillars. The pulpit and reading desk are of polished carved oak. An organ chamber has been formed in the chancel from which it is separated by a screen of open woodwork. The communion table and communion rails of wood are also patterned. The pews are open benches of varnished wood. The roof is dependent on polished oak ribs from which hang three gas lit chandeliers. The heating and lighting were supplied by Messrs Edmundson & Co of Capel Street'.
Costs rose to £3044 and they were in debt to the tune of £394 when the church opened. The trustees appointed Rev George T Stokes as vicar.
The organ by Messrs Telford went into service on the 10 Sep 1871.
In 1896 a brass eagle lectern was installed and in 1897 a pulpit and clergy stalls were installed.
The Caen stone reredos and the inlaid ceramic tiling of the east wall and floor beneath the Altar were erected at the joint expense of the Wesleyan Connexional School and Rathmines School in memory of Willie Mason and Harry McCelland, two schoolboys who were drowned in 1875.
The chancel was decorated by Robert Mannix of Harcourt Street in 1877. Robert was renowned for his polychrome work.
During the late nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries the building has been enriched by many Arts and Crafts furnishings: stained glass, murals, wood carvings, and a mosaic backdrop to the chancel. The twelve stained-glass windows were installed between 1875 and 1925.
In 1913 new choir stalls were installed.
The long hand-knotted carpet made by the Dun Emer Guild (Evelyn Gleeson) runs through the choir to the altar rails was laid in 1928.
Dedication of the mosaic panels in the reredos took place in 1919 and that of the Rood beam was carried out in 1934.
The Sanctuary wall frescoes by Irish painter and sculptor Brigid Ganley were dedicated on Christmas Day 1935.
The Church caught fire on 14 Oct 1937 a passer by raised the alarm. The brigade arrived within 10 minutes and dealt with it, but five pews were burnt out and two were charred. One stained glass window was destroyed and another cracked. All the church was discoloured with smoke. Miss Sarah Purser quoted £150 for two new windows but Mr Watson in Youghal quoted £90. Miss Pursar met the vestry and proposed preserving one of the windows for £20 and £73 for the new window as Mr Watson’s drawings ‘may be wonderful on paper but dreadful in glass’. Details of the widows including two of the three surviving widows by Wilhelmina Geddes are available on the RCB Library website with photographs by David Lawrence. Opinions differ as to which two of the three Archangel windows (Gabriel, Raphael and Michael) survive! The church is open from 2pm to 4pm - 30 Jun 2025 to 6 Sep 2025 for self guided tours.
*Made by J Johnston, jeweller and silversmith of Suffolk Street and are still extant.
© June Bow & Karen Poff - 2020/updated 2025
Return to All Saints Vicarage page
The foundation stone for a new church to be designated “All Saints’ Church’ was laid on 15 Sep 1868 at 1pm. The stone was laid, with the help of workmen, by Matthew Pollock, rector's churchwarden of Stillorgan using a silver trowel and silver mallet*.
The church was intended to be a place of worship for the new parish of Newtown Park. This new parish comprised of the village of Newtown Park, Proby Square and included twelve of demesnes in the area and had been approved by his Grace, the archbishop of Dublin, Richard Chenevix (Trench) with the consent of the incumbents of Kill, Monkstown and Stillorgan. The church was to accommodate 250 persons and was expected to cost £2,200 exclusive of spire (an additional £300 if built at the same time). This was post dis-establishment (no more tithes) so the Ecclesiastical Commissioners committed a third of the sum. An endowment of £75 per year would also be required to which the commissioners would augment to the sum of £25 so the new vicar would receive a salary of £100 per annum. The architect/CE was John McCurdy, who would also supervise the work, and the building contractors were Messrs James & William Beckett of South King Street, Dublin. (Drawings for the church are online at the RCB Library). John was the architect for the Marine Hotel, Kingstown, the Museum building at Trinity College and the rebuilding of the Shelbourne Hotel. For a time he lived on Newtownpark Avenue. The officiating clergyman was the Rev Dr Thomas Sill Grey, rector of Stillorgan. A bottle, and a number of gold silver and copper coins were placed under the stone. £2755 had already been raised towards the building of this church by subscription. The Church on a picturesque site on Carysfort Avenue including a spire was consecrated on 21 Apr 1870 by the archbishop of Dublin and was described as ‘built of brick dressed with rustic hewn granite. The style is early English Gothic, the tracings of the widows are made of sandstone. It has a commodious side aisle and transept supported by three granite pillars. The pulpit and reading desk are of polished carved oak. An organ chamber has been formed in the chancel from which it is separated by a screen of open woodwork. The communion table and communion rails of wood are also patterned. The pews are open benches of varnished wood. The roof is dependent on polished oak ribs from which hang three gas lit chandeliers. The heating and lighting were supplied by Messrs Edmundson & Co of Capel Street'.
Costs rose to £3044 and they were in debt to the tune of £394 when the church opened. The trustees appointed Rev George T Stokes as vicar.
The organ by Messrs Telford went into service on the 10 Sep 1871.
In 1896 a brass eagle lectern was installed and in 1897 a pulpit and clergy stalls were installed.
The Caen stone reredos and the inlaid ceramic tiling of the east wall and floor beneath the Altar were erected at the joint expense of the Wesleyan Connexional School and Rathmines School in memory of Willie Mason and Harry McCelland, two schoolboys who were drowned in 1875.
The chancel was decorated by Robert Mannix of Harcourt Street in 1877. Robert was renowned for his polychrome work.
During the late nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries the building has been enriched by many Arts and Crafts furnishings: stained glass, murals, wood carvings, and a mosaic backdrop to the chancel. The twelve stained-glass windows were installed between 1875 and 1925.
In 1913 new choir stalls were installed.
The long hand-knotted carpet made by the Dun Emer Guild (Evelyn Gleeson) runs through the choir to the altar rails was laid in 1928.
Dedication of the mosaic panels in the reredos took place in 1919 and that of the Rood beam was carried out in 1934.
The Sanctuary wall frescoes by Irish painter and sculptor Brigid Ganley were dedicated on Christmas Day 1935.
The Church caught fire on 14 Oct 1937 a passer by raised the alarm. The brigade arrived within 10 minutes and dealt with it, but five pews were burnt out and two were charred. One stained glass window was destroyed and another cracked. All the church was discoloured with smoke. Miss Sarah Purser quoted £150 for two new windows but Mr Watson in Youghal quoted £90. Miss Pursar met the vestry and proposed preserving one of the windows for £20 and £73 for the new window as Mr Watson’s drawings ‘may be wonderful on paper but dreadful in glass’. Details of the widows including two of the three surviving widows by Wilhelmina Geddes are available on the RCB Library website with photographs by David Lawrence. Opinions differ as to which two of the three Archangel windows (Gabriel, Raphael and Michael) survive! The church is open from 2pm to 4pm - 30 Jun 2025 to 6 Sep 2025 for self guided tours.
*Made by J Johnston, jeweller and silversmith of Suffolk Street and are still extant.
© June Bow & Karen Poff - 2020/updated 2025
Return to All Saints Vicarage page