dunsden church all saints

Dunsden Parish was created in 1876 out of part of the Parish of St. Andrew’s, Sonning. The church was built in 1842 with money donated by the Palmer family of Holme Park, Sonning (now the Reading Blue Coat School). It was served as a “chapel-of-ease” by clergy from Sonning until the first Vicar (previously a curate at Sonning) was appointed in 1876. A Vicarage was built at Dunsden, now called Glebe House, and a new vicarage was built in 1965, but this was sold when the last vicar left in 1977 and is now known as “Not The Vicarage”. In 1977 the parish was amalgamated with that of Shiplake.

The church is quite a large, uncluttered, unpretentious Victorian building seating about 170. It has a wide nave furnished with deal pews, and a chancel and sanctuary that were added in 1875, with oak choir stalls and a carved stone reredos. The stone pulpit, by Henry Woodyer, was moved to All Saints from St. Andrew’s, Sonning; the font is also of stone. The stained glass is by John Hardman, a well-known, indeed famous, Victorian artist in stained glass.

There is a very fine small pipe organ, built by John Holdich in 1875. 

Wilfred Owen, the WWI war poet, was lay assistant to the Vicar of All Saints from 1911–13, and his parents and sister are buried in the churchyard. The church and graves form part of the smartphone compatible Owen in Dunsden trail which tells the story of Wilfred Owen's time in Dunsden.

The churchyard has been twice extended, in 1927 and in 2000. A large car park, for 50 cars, was built in 2006 on land donated by the Phillimore Estate. A flint and brick building used previously to store the church’s coffin trolley, or bier, was turned into a disabled toilet with storage facilities in 2004.