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THE CHURCH GARDENS are home to a very special memorial, a Rose Garden dedicated to the memory of the 146 passengers and crew who lost their lives when Dan Air charter flight 1008 inbound from Manchester to the Tenerife North airport of Los Rodeos crashed in the nearby forest of La Esperanza on 25th April 1980.

The anniversary of the disaster is marked each year at the Sunday service nearest to the date as the congregation gather in the garden to remember those who died that day.

The crash happened after the flight deck crew wrongly executed an unpublished holding pattern in an area of high ground, resulted in the aircraft’s destruction. The aircraft was flying in cloud when it struck the mountain. The impact resulted in the aircraft’s complete disintegration, killing everyone on board, and leaving a debris trail 350 metres long.

The official (Spanish) investigation concluded that the cause of the accident was that the pilot in command, without taking account of the altitude at which he was flying, took the aircraft into an area of high terrain and thereby failed to maintain a safe height above the terrain.

However, a British addendum to the report found that tardy and ambiguous directions from air traffic control regarding the unpublished hold directly contributed to the disorientation of the aircraft commander. The addendum also found that the unpublished track onto which the aircraft was directed required tight turns to be flown. These were practically unflyable, making entry into the region of high ground inevitable for an aircraft flying this track, even without the navigational errors.

Further, the addendum found that the directed altitude of 5,000ft was inadequate for this holding pattern, and that the minimum altitude for entry into the holding pattern should have been 8,000ft, with a minimum altitude of 7,000ft for the pattern itself, had a minimum safe altitude calculation been performed ahead of time by a competent authority. The addendum concluded that the accident would not have occurred if the aircraft had not been cleared below 7,000ft.

A memorial in Southern Cemetery, Manchester commemorates the victims of the disaster, whose names are inscribed on a series of slate tablets within a small grassed enclosure.

ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH has responsibility for the upkeep of a walled cemetery in the town of Puerto de la Cruz.  It is situated in the heart of Puerto de la Cruz, next to the headquarters of the National Police, in an area surrounded by hotels.

Over many years, several generations of foreign families who settled in this tourist town have been laid to rest there.

Recovery of the English Cemetery at Puerto de la Cruz owes much to the great effort made over many years by All Saints’ and the contributions made by the church and its parishioners in meeting the expenses of maintaining the site.

Burials, at present, are infrequent; this does lead to difficulty in retaining a maintenance fund, but the premises are kept in good order and reasonable repair. A group of volunteers keeps the grounds tidy.

Recently a ramp has been installed to make access easier for wheelchairs and the whole cemetery has been re-plastered and repainted.

More information about many of the people who are buried here may be found at: FindaGrave.com

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH of All Saints in Parque Taoro, Puerto de la Cruz, is over 130 years old, making it the oldest Anglican church in Spain.

Many visitors to Tenerife are surprised to find an English-style church here. This small enclave of the Church of England owes its existence to a handful of dedicated Christians who, in the late 1800’s, met each Sunday for Morning Prayer. These Services were read by the British Vice-Consul, Mr Peter Spence Reid.

Donations were given by people of many different nationalities and denominations towards the eventual building of All Saints’ Church, in what was then known as Puerto Orotava and is now Puerto de la Cruz.

The first service was held in the church on 14th June 1891 but due to an outbreak of smallpox there was no formal opening at that time. That was delayed until 1st November 1891 when it was dedicated as All Saints’ Church. On 15th January 1893 the Rt Revd Ernest Graham Ingham, the Bishop of Sierra Leone, in front of a congregation of 189, formally consecrated All Saints’. We have on the wall a copy of the Deed of Consecration.

Another historical feature in our Church is a Font with a brass plaque in memory of three parishioners who were baptised in the church and subsequently lost their lives in World War One; a tablet bears the inscription “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and all your strength”. There is also a beautifully carved wooden pulpit. The east wall behind the altar has a carved oak reredos in memory of a previous parishioner.

The original Pipe Organ in the church was a Bevington built in the UK around the turn of the 20th century. The interior workings of this have been removed, though the front pipes have been retained to enhance the overall appearance of the church. Today’s modern, digital Johannus organ sits in front of the Bevington in the Sanctuary. It was installed during a considerable programme of renovations carried out in 2016, made possible in the main by the generous donations of two members of the congregation.

On Sunday 13th March 2016 Bishop David Hamid re-dedicated the church and its new organ. More pictures from the rededication ceremony can be found by clicking on this link Church Rededication March 2016

The building is Early English Gothic style with pairs of lancet windows to the side aisles. In the Sanctuary there is on the south wall a large scale reproduction of the Light of the World by Holman Hunt.

We also have some wonderfully vibrant stained-glass windows depicting figures of the prophet, apostle and martyr and the wording from Te Deum. Some of these windows were brought over from America around the time the church was built.

IN THE CHURCH grounds, to the rear and to the right of the church building itself, is a memorial garden, where the ashes of deceased members of the church congregation can be interred.

This shaded and sheltered area provides a place of quiet contemplation for family and friends.