A LITTLE church with a big history receives the blessing of the Bishop of Winchester when he conducts a special centenary service at All Saints church in Thorney Hill on Sunday.

The tiny chapel off Burley Road was built by the third Lord Manners in memory of his daughter Mary Christine, who died from cholera in India in 1904 aged just 17. Dedicated in November 1906 as a chapel of ease in the parish of Sopley, the distinctive distinctive Italianate baroque church was designed by the noted architect Detmar Blow, a student of the late Victorian arts and craft movement.

Lettering on the Mary Christine Manners memorial was inscribed by the famed artist and engraver Eric Gill, but the church is perhaps best known for the 1920 mural painting, the last great work of Irish-born artist Phoebe Traquair.

The mural was commissioned by Lord Manners to commemorate his wife Lady Constance who died in 1920 and their son, the Hon John Manners, killed while serving in the Army during the First World War Taking two years to complete, the mural covers the walls of the apse around the altar with Biblical figures representing the Te Deum hymn and bearing the faces of members of the Manners family, famous people of the time, and contemporary villagers including children.

Over the years the mural suffered from the effects of the wind and water damage to the walls, but four years ago grants from English Heritage and the National Lottery helped towards the restoration of the church, by now a Grade I listed building.

Other misfortunes to befall All Saints during its first 100 years included the theft of the church bell - replaced 30 years later in 2000 - a fire in 1988 when workmen were replacing lead stolen from the roof and the storm of 1990 when dozens of pine trees in the churchyard were blown down, damaging the village war memorial.

Sunday's centenary service starts at 10am and includes the dedication of a banner and is followed by lunch in the nearby community hall featuring a display of All Saints memorabilia and the launch of a new history of the church by long-time former Vicar of Bransgore the Rev Canon Patrick Elkins.