All Saints, Godshill, Isle of Wight
All Saints, Church Hill, Godshill, Isle of Wight, PO38 3HY
All Saints, Godshill, is a medieval Church of England parish church on Church Hill in the historic village of Godshill, Isle of Wight. Worship has taken place on the hill for around a thousand years, with tradition linking an earlier stone church to the reign of Edward the Confessor. The present building is mainly 14th-century and Perpendicular in style, with an unusual double nave and chancel, a north-west tower, transepts and historic roof timbers. The church is especially noted for the medieval Lily Cross wall painting in St Stephen’s Chapel, showing Christ crucified on a lily branch, a rare survival of medieval devotional art. All Saints is Grade I listed for its exceptional architectural and historic interest and remains one of the Island’s most visited country churches.
Timings
- Friday 11 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Saturday 12 September:
- 10:00 to 16:00 (Ride & Stride)
- Sunday 13 September:
- 11:00 Sung Eucharist (followed by light refreshments)
- Monday 14 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Tuesday 15 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Wednesday 16 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Thursday 17 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00 (Morning Communion on Thursdays at 10.00 in the Lily Cross side chapel)
- Friday 18 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Saturday 19 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
- Sunday 20 September:
- 11:00 to 15:00
Location & directions
All Saints, Church Hill, Godshill, Isle of Wight, PO38 3HY
- Directions:
- The church stands on Church Hill in Godshill. Limited parking is available on Church Hill, with a larger free car park in Godshill village. The main entrance is reached from the junction of Church Hill and Church Hollow, past The Old Bell.
- Contact on day:
- Dennis Owen
- Telephone number:
- +441983840591
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Street parking is limited.
Additional information
The church also has a pipe organ, visible within the nave, which supports worship and complements the building’s long musical tradition alongside the ring of six bells. Local tradition says the first church was begun at the foot of the hill, but the stones were mysteriously moved to the summit, giving rise to the Godshill legend. The hill may have been a pre-Christian sacred site, and Godshill is one of the Island’s ancient parishes, with links to the Abbey of Lyra, Appuldurcombe Priory, the Leigh and Worsley families, and the wider history of medieval and post-Reformation Isle of Wight life.
