All Saints' Church

All Saints’ Church stands on Chingford Mount in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Parts of the building date from the 12th and 13th centuries, though the nave’s north wall is likely 12th century and the south aisle from the late 13th. The bell tower was added around 1400 and a porch built early in the 16th century. The church once served as the parish church until 1844, when a new church took over the dedication to Saints Peter and Paul. It now overlooks the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain to the west. The church has witnessed notable events and customs. In 1397 it was dedicated to All Saints, but by 1710 it bore the dedication to Saints Peter and Paul. A quirky 18th-century tradition involved a landowner paying a £24 ground rent by arriving at the parsonage with a hawk, horse, and greyhound, each receiving a token gift. The church also has connections to the Knights Templar, who held the advowson between 1207 and 1308. After a 1904 roof collapse, it was restored in 1930 with help from Miss Louisa Heathcote’s £6,000 donation. Visitors find a quiet church with medieval fabric and later additions. The oldest monument is a slab with indentations for brasses to Robert Rampston and his wife, dated 1585 and 1590. Three bells hang in the tower, two cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry and one by Oldfield of Hertford. The churchyard retains an ivy-covered appearance reminiscent of its 19th-century nickname, the ‘green church’. Inside, the hall hosts local societies and regular services continue. Views stretch across the reservoir chain, linking past and present.