WHEN Andrew Lloyd Webber called for churches and their works of art to be made more accessible to the public earlier this year, a group of parishioners took the composer's words to heart.

And the congregation at All Saints in Wilden, near Stourport-on-Severn, had good reason - the inside of their church is a glittering but little-seen Who's Who of late 19th and early 20th Century arts, politics and literature.

Hundreds of people have now flocked to the simple 19th Century chapel, near Stourport, to see its set of 14 stained glass windows, designed by the pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones.

The church, which has had two open days in recent months, also has strong links to former British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and the novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling.

Churchwarden Pam Craven said that although private parties have visited the chapel in the past, opening up the church to the wider public revealed an unexpected level of interest.

"Quite a lot of people did know about the stained glass and hadn't been able to get into the church," she explained.

"We've had people trying to come for years but it had been locked. Once they were inside, they were over the moon.

"One lady just couldn't believe she was seeing all these windows. Some churches have one or two, but not a full set."

The links between All Saints and some of the most famous names of the time have much to do with Stanley Baldwin's industrialist father, Alfred, his wife Louisa, and her three sisters, Alice, Georgiana and Agnes MacDonald.

All made impressive marriages: Alice to John Lockwood Kipling, which produced a son, Rudyard, Georgiana to Edward Burne-Jones and Agnes to the classical Victorian painter and former Royal Academy president Edward Poynter.

The marriages moved Alfred Baldwin, who ran the local ironworks, into the sphere of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, which eventually led to the original glass windows being replaced with the Burne-Jones designs between 1902 and 1914.

Many are dedicated to members of the MacDonald, Baldwin and Burne-Jones families. One depicts Stanley Baldwin setting out on life's journey, accompanied by his guardian angel.

Other treasures at the church include an altar frontispiece by the writer, craftsman and designer William Morris.

Mrs Craven said: "Churches are closed so much of the time because of security and few works of art and architecture are made available to the public.

"This was a call to be more accessible. We took it on board."

n The next open day at All Saints, Wilden will be on Saturday, February 5.

There are also altar hangings from Westminster Abbey made for George VI's coronation and communion vessels, which are inlaid with Louisa Baldwin's gems.