Tours Available of All Saints' Hidden Gem During Heritage Festival
A chance to view the unique Arts and Crafts stained glass windows
An angel in All Saints Church on Putney Common informs the Apostles of the Ascension. Picture: John Salmon
May 15, 2026
Wandsworth Heritage Festival returns from 23 May to 14 June, celebrating the borough’s shops, high streets and the communities shaped around them. This year’s programme is one of the most wide-ranging yet, with dozens of walks, talks, tours and open days across the borough — including events in Putney and Roehampton.
On three dates during the festival — Wednesday 27 May, Saturday 6 June, and Tuesday 9 June — All Saints’ Church on Putney Common invites visitors inside to explore one of London’s most extraordinary Arts & Crafts interiors.
From the outside, All Saints’ is modest, almost understated. Step through the doors, however, and the building reveals a secret: every stained-glass window was designed by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, making it the most extensive Morris & Co. glazing scheme in any London church.
Designed by the great Victorian architect G. E. Street, the church is a jewel of craftsmanship — rich in colour, pattern and symbolism. Burne-Jones drew the majority of the windows, with six designed by Morris himself, who also oversaw the colour and painted detail. The result is a unified decorative scheme of rare beauty.
Visitors can drop in between 10am and 2pm, with a free guided tour at 12pm on each open day. No booking is required, and donations to the church’s pipe organ campaign are warmly welcomed. All Saints’ Church is by Putney Common, (SW15 1HL).
Guided tours will also be held of The Chapel of St Mary’s Convent, Roehampton Organised by the archivist of St Mary’s Convent, Brentford. The convent was built by an order of Catholic Sisters, the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, between 1876-1903. The guided tour comprises the chapel, vestibule and gallery with beautiful frescoes by Sr Mary Tommaso SMG. They take place on Saturday 30 May at 10am and 2pm and are free although booking is required
On Sunday 24 May and Friday 29 May, accredited guide Gail Golding leads the Remarkable Women of Putney walk — a celebration of the women who shaped the area through courage, creativity and quiet determination.
From campaigners and educators to artists and unsung community figures, the walk uncovers stories often overlooked in traditional histories. Meet outside Putney Station at 10.30am. Tickets £10, booking required.
On Saturday 6 June at 1pm, Ibstock Place School opens its Roehampton campus for a free illustrated talk exploring the school’s history and its relationship with the surrounding community. Visitors will also have the chance to explore the school museum, which holds a fascinating collection of documents, photographs and artefacts tracing the school’s development. Booking is required via aplatt@ibstockplaceschool.co.uk.
There is also a film screening and Q&A on A Legacy of Care – 170 years at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability Organised by the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. Patients’ voices, past and present, are at the heart of this documentary film which includes a mixture of archival materials, interviews, and personal stories which capture the everyday and the extraordinary moments of life at the RHN. It takes place on Thursday 11 June, 6pm at Putney Library. The event is free but booking is required.
Warm up for the tennis and discover the fascinating area between Fazl Mosque and Wimbledon Park, with a delightful ramble organised by Geoff Simmons in the hands of Ethel and Ernest, parents of Raymond Briggs, immortalised in his 1996 book and evocative 2016 animated film. Meet outside Wimbledon Park tube station, Arthur Road, SW19 7HX at 2pm on Sunday 14 June. Tickets cost £11.55 and nooking required.
This year’s Heritage Festival theme — the evolution of shops and high streets — runs throughout the borough’s programme, from guided walks along historic parades to talks on long-lost businesses and the communities that grew around them. Many events require advance booking, details of how to get ticket and the full programme are available at welcometowandsworth.com.Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |