ESCOMB CHURCH
Escomb, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14-7ST
Built around 670-675 A.D., much of the stone to build this unique church
was robbed from the old Roman fort at Binchester, which is across the river Wear to the East about 2 miles away.
the church is at the bottom of the hill surrounded by a circular wall, with a road this. Escomb was a mining village.
By the nineteenth century the church had been allowed to become derelict, with another church being built up the hill, which has now gone, but this church was recognized for what it was and restored between 1875-80 by R J Johnson and again in 1965 by Sir Albert Richardson, apart from some medieval windows, South porch and a new roof the church is as it was when built which in itself is amazing.
contact for more information tel-
Derek Jago 01388-458358
David Appleton 01388-609777
visiting the church, in the Summer months the church is open on a Sunday after service, where a tea or coffee will be offered as well as a talk about the church, if the church is locked the keys can be collected by looking through the gate to see houses behind the church one of them has the key in the porch.
Services
Sunday
1st – 4th 1100hrs Holy Communion
5th joint service with one of 5 churches within the 5 parishes.
Transport
Walking
still working this out but it does look like there is a path from Bishop Auckland.
Bus
Bishop Auckland too Escomb Arriva 86/86A
mon – sat leaves bus station 0724,0850, 0920,1000,every hr until 1705,1805, 1905,2035,2205,2315.
sun & Bk Hs leaves bus station 1005,1135,1305,1435,1605,1735,1905,2035,2205,2315.
Escomb too Bishop Auckland Arriva 86/86A
mon – sat 0828,0848, 0933, 1003,1043,this timing every hour until 1643,1748,1848,1951,2121,2251.
sun & Bk Hs 1051,1221,1351,1521,1651,1821,1951.
Train
Bishop Auckland – Darlington line
mon – sat every 30 minutes
sun every 2 hours
unable to find timetable at present, to pick up the bus turn left as leaving the station the first road you meet will be the bus route, the bus gets to this point a couple minutes after leaving the bus station on the other side of the road from you.
Cars
can park the car on the road surrounding the church, just remember this is on a bus route.
Places to eat
Saxon inn,
Escomb, Bishop Auckland,County Durham,DL14-7SY.
tel 01388-662256
usually opens from 1200hrs
ST. BARTHOLMEW CHURCH, ALDBROUGH.
Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU11-4RN. O/S Map 99 ref TA 244 387
Tel no contact number or e-mail address.
The church is about 12 miles north-east from Hull, not far from the sea, the church consists of a square west tower, an aisled nave with a south porch, and an aisleless chancel.
The south wall of the nave is Anglo-Saxon with a sundial attached from the same period, on this is an inscription in Old English `+ULF LET ARAERAN CYRICE FOR HANUM 7 FOR GUNVARA SAULA` which in modern English translate as `+Ulf had this church built for himself and for Gunwara`s soul` The inscription is amazingly clear after so many years, there are other A/S artifacts in the building structure.
ALL SAINTS CHURCH, APPLETON-LE-STREET.
Main road, Appleton-le-street, North Yorkshire, YO17-6PG. O/S map 92 ref 733 736
Tel Churchwarden 01653 694009 e-mail church web-site.
There is now hardly any village left now, the church is built on high ground next to the main road between Malton and Hovingham, the west tower is a fine late Anglo-Saxon workmanship, the aisles of the nave are Early English additions but the walls of the original Anglo-Saxon nave probably still remain above the later arcade, since their western quoins, of the same character as those of the tower, may be seen projecting about a foot on either side of the tower, and in line with the arcades of the nave.
ST. ANDREW CHURCH, AYCLIFFE.
Church lane, Aycliffe village, County Durham, DL5 O/S map 85 ref 283 221
Tel vicar 01325 320278 e-mail on church web-site
The village of Aycliffe stands on a hill astride the Great North road, about 4 miles north of Darlington. The church stands in the west side of the village, being mainly Early English and now consists of a west tower, a nave with aisles carried westward to flank the tower, and an aisleless chancel. The eastern parts of the nave walls above the later arcades date from before the Conquest. Externally, there is no sign of Anglo-Saxon workmanship, but inside there is evidence of an Anglo-Saxon aisleless nave within the present aisles, plus more.
ALL HALLOWS CHURCH, BARDSEY.
Church lane, Bardsey, West Yorkshire, LS17-9DN. O/S map 96 ref SE 366 273
Tel Parish administrator 01937 574273 e-mail not available, try the church`s web-site.
no car-park, no doubt you can park on the road.
The village is about 8 miles north-east from Leeds, so is in danger of becoming a suburb of that city, the church consists of a late
Anglo-Saxon west tower on an earlier western porch, an Anglo-Saxon nave through which arcades were cut in Norman times to form narrow aisles which were later widened and carried west to flank the tower and a chancel lasting from the 14th century, with a chapel on the north and a vestry on the south. The whole church is built of undressed, roughly square stone.
ST. GREGORY CHURCH, BEDALE.
North End, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8-1AF O/S map 91 ref SE 265 884
Tel Parish office 01677 425985 e-mail on church web-site.
There is parking to get there, A684 out from Bedale on the way to Leyburn, just outside the Bedale on the right side of the road, opposite Bedale Hall and golf club is the turn off to the church.
Bedale is about 7 miles south-west of Northallerton, and within 2 miles of the Roman road from York to Darlington, Bedale is situated next to a great estate, having the Wensleydale heritage railway running through with its own station, this is open some summer week-ends. The church suffered badly during the harrying of the north in 1069, the entrance is through the south porch which is attached to the west tower, and the body of the church consists of an aisled nave with a chancel partly flanked by chapels.
What is clear though is that the original church consisted of a long, aisless nave and a short aisless chancel, through whose side walls the later arches were cut, also in the crypt below the chancel as well as the nave, there are elements of Anglo-Saxon carving.
ST. CUTHBERT CHURCH, BILLINGHAM.
Church road, Billingham, County Durham, TS23-1BW O/S map 85 ref TS 457 223
Tel Vicar 01642 561870 no e-mail address.
Parking by the church which is at the end of the road.
Billingham was no doubt a port long before Middlesborough existed, with modern development Billingham, Norton, Middlesborough and Stockton have developed into a single urban area, to the west is Norton with its own Anglo-Saxon church.
The church consists of a western tower, an aisled nave with a south porch, and an extensive aisled chancel which was built in the late 1930s, replacing the 18th-century chancel, the south porch and the outer wall of the south aisle are 19th-century, the north aisle wall seems mostly from the Decorative period.
The west tower is Anglo-Saxon, and the long, narrow nave, with its tall thin walls over arcades dating from 1200 to 1250, seems to preserve the plan of the Anglo-Saxon nave, while some parts of the walls above the arcades may themselves be original.
ST. ANDREWS CHURCH, BOLAM.
Bolam, Northumberland, NE61-3UA O/S map 78 ref NZ 093 826
Tel Vicar 01670 775360 e-mail on the church web-site
Parking is by the church.
This attractive church stands in pleasant rolling countryside, about 3 miles north of Belsay, and about 2 miles to the north-east of the main road `A696` from Newcastle to Jedburgh, there is no village only the old vicarage.
The church consists of a west tower which is late-Saxon, a nave whose some parts of the walls is late-Saxon, with a south aisle and modern north vestry, a central space with a large south chapel, and an aisleless chancel, the church is fundamentally Norman or transitional to Early English.
ST. HELEN, BURGHWALLIS.
O/S map 103 ref SE 537 120
ST. ANDREW, BYWELL.
O/S map 77 & 78 ref NZ 048 615
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ST. PETER, BYWELL.
O/S map 77 & 78 ref NZ 049 614
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ST. OSWALD, CILLINGHAM.
O/S map 96 ref SE 390 460
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ST. ANDREW, CORBRIDGE.
O/S map 77 ref NY 988 644
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NO KNOWN DEDICATION, EBB’S NOOK.
O/S map 71 ref NU 239 286
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ST. PETER, HACKNESS
O/S map 93 ref SE 969 905
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ST MARY MAGDALENE, HART.
O/S map 85 ref NZ 470 352
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ST. ANDREW, HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL.
O/S map 78 ref NZ 135 669
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ST. ANDREW, HEXHAM.
O/S map 77 ref NY 935 641
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ST. MARY, HORNBY.
O/S map 91 ref SE 222 937
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ST. PETER, LONG-HOUGHTON.
O/S map 71 ref NU 242 150
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ALL SAINTS, HOVINGHAM.
O/S map 92 ref SE 666 757
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ST. MICHAEL, INGRAM.
O/S map 71 ref NU 019 163
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ST. PAUL, JARROW.
O/S map 78 ref NZ 339 652
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ALL SAINTS, KIRBY HILL.
O/S map 91 ref SE 393 686
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ALL SAINTS, KIRBY-UNDERDALE.
O/S map 98 ref SE 808 585
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ST. GREGORY, KIRKDALE.
O/S map 92 ref SE 677 857
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ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, KIRK HAMMERTON.
O/S map 97 ref SE 465 555
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ST. MARY, LASTINGHAM.
O/S map 92 ref SE 728 904
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ALL SAINTS, LAUGHLON-EN-LE-MORTHEN.
O/S map 103 ref SK 517 882
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ALL SAINTS, LEDSHAM.
O/S map 97 ref SE 456 297
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LINDISFARNE (OR HOLY ISLAND).
O/S map 64 ref NU 125 418
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ST. MARGARET & ST. JAMES, LONG MARTON.
O/S map 83 ref NY 666 240
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ST. MARY, MIDDLETON-BY-PICKERING.
O/S map 92 ref SE 782 854
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ST. WILFRID OF RIPON, MONK FRYSTON.
O/S map 97 ref SE 505 297
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ST. PETER, MONKWEARMOUTH.
O/S map 78 ref NZ 402 577
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ST. LAWRENCE. MORLAND.
O/S map 83 ref NY 598 225
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ST.CUTHBERT, NORHAM.
O/S map 64 ref NT 896 474
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ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, NORTON.
O/S map 85 ref NZ 442 221
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ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, OVINGHAM.
O/S map 77 & 78 ref NZ 085 637
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References:-
Anglo-Saxon Architecture Volumes I, II & III. Authors H.M. Taylor & Joan Taylor.
www.anglo-saxon-hurches.co.uk/reading.html
scroll to (new links 205-16)
by Michael George Shapland (click here) a large pdf of 50mb for all the volumes of above.
For information on train and bus services :- https://www.thetrainline.com/