All Saints Church, Marlow

Though there was a church in Marlow as early as 1070, the present Church of All Saints is a Victorian creation, built after the spire of the old church collapsed in 1831. The old building was demolished, and a new church constructed of Bath stone, topped by a graceful spire soaring 170 above the town. The combination of spire and bridge form one of the most unforgettable Thames sights.

An impressive and very old cemetery

It is not so common for a Christian place of worship – which encompasses the whole of heaven – to be dedicated to “ALL SAINTS”. Usually it is one (or occasionally two) named saints who hold the patronage of a church – and thus usually also of the parish or town in which it is located.But to find the origin of such a dedication, one has to go far back in history, because the model for this practice of dedication to ALL SAINTS can be seen as a pagan custom, according to which there were already central temples in pre-Christian times that were dedicated to all deities (PANTHEON). The probably most famous Pantheon, formerly a pagan temple and now a Christian place of worship, is located in the Italian capital.