Escomb Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Escomb Church
View from the south
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Location	Escomb, County Durham
Country	England, UK
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Escomb Saxon Church
History
Status	parish church
Founded	c. 675
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Designated	21 April 1952
Style	Anglo-Saxon
Years built	7th century
Specifications
Nave length	43 ft 6 in (13.3 m)
Nave width	14 ft 6 in (4.4 m)
Other dimensions	walls 2 ft 4 in (0.7 m) thick by 23 ft (7.0 m) high chancel 10 ft (3.0 m) square, chancel arch 15 ft (4.6 m) high by 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) wide
Materials	squared sandstone with quoins
Bells	1
Administration
Archdeaconry	Auckland
Diocese	Diocese of Durham
Province	York

Escomb Church is a very old and special church in a village called Escomb, in County Durham, England. It's a Church of England church and is super old – it was built by the Anglo-Saxons! It's one of only four Anglo-Saxon churches in England that are still mostly complete. This makes it a really important historical building, listed as a Grade I building.

Discovering Escomb Church's History

How Old Is Escomb Church?

Escomb Church was built a very long time ago, around the years AD 670–675. Back then, this area was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, ruled by the Anglian people. Imagine, this church was standing even before England as we know it existed!

Building with Roman Stones

A lot of the stones used to build the church came from a nearby Roman fort called Vinovia (today known as Binchester). The Anglo-Saxons were clever and reused these strong Roman stones. You can even see some Roman markings on the church walls! For example, on the north wall, there's a stone with "LEG VI" (meaning "Sixth Legion") carved into it, but it's placed upside down.

On the south porch, there's a sundial from the 7th or early 8th century. Above it, you can spot an Anglo-Saxon carving of an animal's head.

Inside the Church: Anglo-Saxon Style

The main part of the church, called the nave, is tall and narrow. This is a typical Anglo-Saxon design. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, is shaped like a rectangle. The walls are very thick, about 2 feet 4 inches (71 cm) thick and 23 feet (7 meters) high.

The church is built with large, rough, squared stones. Many of the corner stones, called quoins, are huge – some are 2 feet (61 cm) high and up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) long! These features show that the church was built between AD 650 and 800.

The most amazing part inside is the tall, narrow arch that connects the nave to the chancel. This chancel arch is about 15 feet (4.6 meters) high and 5 feet 3 inches (1.6 meters) wide. It looks very similar to arches found in Roman forts, which supports the idea that the stones came from Binchester. Many of the stones even show marks from Roman tools.

The chancel arch, with traces of what may be Mediæval paint

Hidden Treasures: Cross Fragments

During a restoration in 1880, workers found pieces of beautifully carved stone crosses. These fragments were hidden inside the church's gables. They are very detailed and are thought to be from a famous carving school in Hexham.

Anglo-Saxon altar cross

Changes Over Time

Gothic and Later Additions

Over the centuries, a few changes were made to Escomb Church. At some point, the roof was raised. The nave now has a special stepped shape at each end of the roof, called a crow-stepped gable.

In the 13th century, some simple Gothic windows were added. The south porch, where you enter, was built in the 14th century. Later, in the 19th century, more windows were put in, and a new door was added to the porch.

Even with these changes, most of the small, high-up windows are the original Anglo-Saxon ones. This means the church still looks very much like it did when it was first built!

Sundial on the 14th-century south porch

Neglect and Restorations

A New Church and Disrepair

For a long time, Escomb Church was connected to a larger church in Bishop Auckland. In 1848, a vicarage (a house for the church leader) was built, and Reverend Henry Atkinson became the first full-time vicar for Escomb in centuries.

The old Anglo-Saxon church could only fit about 65 people. As the village grew in the 19th century, it became too small. So, in 1863, a brand new church, St John's, was built nearby.

After the new church was built, the old Anglo-Saxon church was not used as much and started to fall apart. By 1867, part of its roof was gone!

Bringing the Old Church Back to Life

Luckily, the church was restored between 1875 and 1880 by RJ Johnson. This cost about £500 to £550, which was a lot of money back then! In October 1880, the Bishop of Durham, Joseph Lightfoot, came to celebrate the completion of the restoration.

However, the old church still didn't have heating or electric lights. So, it was only used for a few services each year during the summer months.

By 1904, the roof needed repairs again. In the 1920s, people in the parish raised money to fix the church once more. On June 1, 1927, the Bishop of Durham, Handley Moule, led a special service to mark the end of this work.

Modernizing the Church

Ideas for adding electric lighting to the church came up in 1940 and again in 1944, along with gas heating. But the church committee didn't agree to these changes at first.

In 1959, a new vicar, Reverend Henry Lee, arrived. In 1960, the community decided to fix up the old church again. A famous architect, Sir Albert Richardson, made plans, and in 1962, everyone agreed to them.

The new plan included installing electric lighting and heating, plus new furniture like an altar. This work was estimated to cost £6,500. A group called the Historic Churches Preservation Trust even donated £500 to help!

1960s altar in the chancel

The Old Church Becomes Parish Church Again

In 1963, the newer St John's church, which was only a century old, also needed expensive repairs. Since fewer people were attending church, it was decided that fixing both churches wasn't practical. The decision was made for the old Anglo-Saxon church to become the main parish church again, and St John's would be taken down.

Reverend Lee didn't agree with this at first, but he retired in 1964. In 1967, the restoration of the Anglo-Saxon church began. In December 1969, it officially became the parish church once more, and St John's was taken down in 1971.