St.Oswald's Church in N.E. England, a place of worship for about 1400 years.



St. Oswald in Lee with Bingfield, Northumberland

This evening, I am posting information on the historic church of St. Oswald which is located near Chollerford,about 25 miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in N.E. England.

This is a historic church on an equally historic site, namely site of the Battle of Heavenfield which took place in AD 635. At the Battle, the Christian King Oswald defeated a pagan army from whereon Oswald was held in high esteem in the  early Christian Church as manifested in many eponymous churches and a St. Oswald’s Day which is celebrated on August 5th.

The current church is probably the third such building on the site. There is evidence and/or records of a Saxon church, replaced by a medieval building in turn replaced by the current church in 1817.
Features of the current church include:
  • Interior with simple chancel and limewashed stone.
  • Close to the font is a Roman altar used as a cross-base. (This stonework was likely re-cycled from a site on nearby Hadrian’s Wall.)
  • Exterior features a simple belfry-arch and a sundial fixed in the south wall.
St. Oswald’s  forms part of the Anglican Communion (Church of England ) and is still used for occasional services.

The site and building are conveniently situated for the Hadrian’s Wall Path, a hiking trail which links the east and west coasts of England.


Re-cycled Roman altar at St. Oswald’s, about 1800 years old.

Interior of St. Oswald in Lee with Bingfield

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