THE first week of November is usually associated with celebrating Guy Fawkes’ attempt to blow up Parliament, but for the parishioners of All Saints Church, in Southern Road, the week has a different meaning.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the establishment of this sister church to the parish church of St Michael’s in Church Square.

Back in 1902 there was much discussion about building a Christian place for prayer in the Fairfields area of Basingstoke, especially as the residential part of that section of the town was increasing, with new homes being built close-by, and the proximity of the board schools, which were opened in 1888.

It was decided to build a temporary church in the form of a large hall made of iron sheets, the cost of which would be £10,000. Funds to build this structure were set up and, soon, small amounts of money began to trickle in.

Then John May, the Brook Street brewery owner and a local benefactor, gave a sum of money to the cause and this led to other subscriptions arriving from local businessmen. Within seven months of the proposals to build the “icon church”, as it became known, the work was completed.

On All Saints Day, November 1, 1902, the church was dedicated by the Bishop of Tokyo, Japan, the Rt Rev Dr William Awdry, who was on leave in England at the time. None of the local bishops were available to carry out the dedication.

Over the following years, the church was used for all the usual services and ceremonies associated with established religious institutions, but by 1910, the hall was getting “too cramped for comfort” and an extension was built to hold the increasing congregation. It was evident that a much larger and more permanent church was needed, so appeals went out for money to start the work.

In 1914, when the first major fundraising began, the Rev Alexander Hall, a retired clergyman who lived at Coombehurst House in Cliddesden Road, offered the amazing sum of £5,000 towards the cost of construction.

When the church was completed, having been designed by the famous architect Temple Moore, the cost had risen to £18,000, but the Rev Hall was still able to meet this amount and he was acclaimed as a hero by the local people.

The “Iron Church” was not forgotten though, for it was moved over into Victoria Street and used as a church hall for social occasions. In 1990, it was refurbished, with the exterior covered over with wooden panels.

The new church was completed in just over two years and on September 27, 1917, it was dedicated by the Lord Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Edward Talbot, in the presence of the mayor and corporation, various dignitaries, members of the Church of England, and even ministers of nonconformist churches. They were impressed by the stature of the building, with its gilded cockerel above the tower’s spire.

Constructed with blocks of Chilmark stone, carved by stonemasons on the site, the building was unique in having nine bells, as most churches have eight or 12. Once again, it was John May who came to the rescue by paying for these bells, which cost £444. In 1999, the bells were taken to London to be re-tuned, and the whole operation cost £16,000.

In most recent years, All Saints Church has had additions and alterations and suffered a fire, but it is still one of the nicest looking churches in Hampshire.