Brixworth church in Northamptonshire is said to date from 675AD, which makes it the second oldest church in England. The building is vast in size, and there is no explanation for how a Saxon church would have been this big.

Tags:   Northamptonshire churches Brixworth church Roman buildings

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The imposing All Saints Church at Brixworth in Northamptonshire is generally regarded as the second oldest church in England, dating from the 7th century and being the finest example of a surviving Anglo Saxon building north of the Alps. However, I think there is good reason to believe that much of the building is several hundred years older and was built by the Romans. It was then converted into a church by the Saxons. This is also what happened in Canterbury, with what is recognised as the oldest church in England (and not to be confused with Canterbury Cathedral!). They took an earlier Roman building and converted it.

The Saxons simply did not build massive stone buildings like this in England. And we know from excavations that this building was once much wider. The many Saxon churches in the east of England are all far smaller, and with narrow windows for defence. The ground floor window arches of All Saints - which have been infilled subsequently - are Roman in design and similar to the Roman remains at Leicester's Jewry Wall. And Roman pantiles are neatly used in their construction. Of course, there have been many alterations and additions over the years including the spire, which dates from the 14th century.

The final and conclusive piece of evidence for me is the way that a classic Saxon window has been cut into an earlier arch on the inside of the west tower (see below). That arch can only be Roman.

Tags:   Northamptonshire Brixworth Roman buildings Grade I-listed buildings All Saints Church, Brixworth

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Brixworth church in Northamptonshire is said to date from 675AD, which makes it the second oldest church in England. But there is substantial evidence to suggest that it is much older, and started life as a Roman basilica. The main arches are typically Roman, and the centre of the photo shows where a Saxon window has actually been cut into the top of what I believe is a Roman arch.

Tags:   Northamptonshire churches Brixworth church Roman buildings

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All Saints Church at Brixworth has been described by Simon Jenkins as “one of the most important Romanesque churches in Europe”. It is reckoned to be the second oldest church in England, dating from around 675AD, when the Peterborough Chronicle recorded it as a monastery. It was badly damaged by the Danes in 876AD and converted into a church in the 10th century. Like most other churches in England, it has had substantial additions and alterations over the centuries. The broach spire, for example, dates from the 14th century.

But I very firmly believe that the church at Brixworth started its life as a quite substantial Roman building that was taken over by the Anglo Saxons several hundred years after its original construction, and converted and extended.

The large arches (complete with Roman pantiles) in the side of the building are very clearly Roman, as can be seen by comparing them with the arch in the Jewry Wall in Leicester. That Roman wall was part of the public baths constructed in 150AD. The Jewry Wall is also very similar in construction to the walls of the western end of All Saints Church, with the Roman pantiles being used in the traditional way in horizontal bands. The arches were in-filled much later. Saxon windows were very small because buildings at that time needed to have a defensive aspect. Saxon churches also were very much smaller than this rather large building.

The stair turret is reckoned to be Saxon, dating from the 10th century, but again there is evidence of Roman construction at the base. Further conclusive evidence is inside the church where an arch of typical Roman construction on the inside of the tower has been cut into by a Saxon window. This is virtually identical to Saxon windows dating from 970AD that can be seen in the tower of All Saints Church at Earls Barton.

Coincidentally, the oldest church in England is St Martin’s in Canterbury, which dates from 597AD. But as the Venerable Bede confirmed, it is actually based around a much older Roman building. Just like All Saints Church at Brixworth.

Tags:   Northamptonshire Brixworth Church All Saints Church, Brixworth Roman architecture Roman buildings Saxon architecture Saxon buildings England's Thousand Best Churches

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The Grade I-listed Church of All Saints in Brixworth has one of the most fascinating histories of any building in England. It is said to be the second oldest church in England, dating from the 7th century, when according to one of the Anglo-Saxon chronicles it was a monastery. The Anglo Saxon stair turret is thought to date from the 10th century and the spire from the 13th century. It is also known to have once been very much bigger, with archeological remains stretching out at either side.

I believe much of the building is substantially older than the 7th century, and is the remains of a Roman basilica which was subsequently converted into a church after the Danish raids in 876 AD. However, some people believe the church has simply been built from Roman rubble. But if you've seen a church that has, such as the one at Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, then the pattern of the stones and tiles would be far more jumbled.

Roman pantiles have been widely used in the typical Roman pattern in the construction of the building. And the main arches are also distinctly Roman in style. But for me the key piece of evidence is contained in the picture below, where a typical Saxon window (with the two stone bars) has actually been cut into one of the arches (seen in the centre of the picture) above the doorway. This proves without doubt that the arch pre-dates the Saxon era. It can only be Roman.

Tags:   Northamptonshire Brixworth Church All Saints Church, Brixworth Roman buildings 7th century architecture medieval buildings churches Grade I-listed buildings

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