About Us

SETTING

All Saints Croydon is an ancient parish in south Cambridgeshire in the Diocese of Ely and is the Parish church for Croydon cum Clopton. Clopton is now a 'lost village' and parish. The parish church no longer exists above ground for Clopton. The church in Croydon is associated with the Downing family that built Downing Street and endowed Downing College in Cambridge. It serves a rural parish of some 200 people although very few work in Land based occupations. 

THE BUILDING

 The church is listed Grade II* and consists mostly of 14th century work, but does have a 12th century font and a 13th Century south arcade that indicate an earlier building. Its crazy leanings and uneven floor all offer a picturesque image of a medieval church but are in fact due to the lack of substantial foundations and movement of the land around it and had to have considerable work on its roof and works to try and stablise the building just over ten years ago (2009) .The church also retains its Post Reformation Pews and a pulpit made up of the 17th century parts of an earlier pulpit. The Chancel was rebuilt in brick during 1685 by the Downings who also are buried in the sealed Crypt below the Chancel. 

SERVICES

The services are completely Common Worship and occur twice every month. The parish is the host, for a by now, well known Classic Car Event each year.

The Orwell group of parishes work together led by one priest, and events such as 5th and 2nd Sunday rotate around the group while some other services are also shared (eg Healing, All Souls, and the various Easter services etc.). This offers a diversity of approaches and parts of congregations can be found moving around the parishes. Each parish has a Eucharist one Sunday in the month and at least one other service in the moring or the evening.

Currently All Saints Croydon has a Eucharist at 09.30am on the 1st Sunday of the month and another All age morning service at 11am on the 3rd Sunday of the month (this alternates between All Age morning service and an All Age eucharist.  It has no evening service.

TWO PARISHES JOINED

Croydon cum Clopton was originally two communities and were joined together in 1561. This was due to the de-population and aggressive enclosures of Clopton by a London Lawyer, John Fisher. In fact Clopton had a market in 12th century which would have given it the status of a town at that time.

In the 11th century both Croydon and Clopton had above average populations. However like many villages in the area there was slow decline in population. Today Clopton is a ‘lost village’ although its site can still be visited by following the bridleway that extends westwards from Croydon High Street along the 'Harcamlow Way' footpath.