 |
On 9 June Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh made a visit to All Saint’s Northampton as part of her wider visit to the town. She was greeted in the market square by crowds of well-wishers including children from St Luke’s CE Primary School.
The visit was part of the celebrations marking 2025 as the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton which destroyed 700 of the 850 buildings in the town centre, including All Hallows Church (now the site of All Saints' Church), and claimed 11 lives. All Saint’s Church was rebuilt with support from King Charles II who donated over 1,000 tonnes of timber to reconstruct the church and halved the town's taxes for seven years following the fire in 1675.
Father Oliver Coss, Rector of All Saint’s Church said; ‘The visit of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh has been a memorable event in the early days of the 350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton. It has been a huge honour to play a part in the formation of a programme which has gathered dozens of organisations across the town in a cultural festival that will touch so many people. ‘
“That Her Royal Highness was able to see and hear something of the tremendous effort is a key encouragement to those who’ve been involved, and as we remembered the Great Fire we were glad of the opportunity to show her something of All Saints’ Church, built upon the ashes of the one destroyed in 1675. She met a small number of our staff and volunteers, with music provided by our Senior Choristers, directed by Jem Lowther.
‘The Anniversary focusses on three key themes ‘recovery, reconciliation, and regeneration’ which have much to teach us in the present as we continue to rebuild and renew Northampton. As we retell our tragic, heroic, and creative history, at the heart of which is set All Saints’ Church, it is very exciting to see these key themes inflaming our aspirations for the town in which we live.”