Skip to main content

St. Michael’s Church, Bowness-on-Solway, England

This evening, I am posting a refreshed version on my original 2022 post.

In Britain (as elsewhere) we have a saying that "all roads lead to Rome". This is particularly pertinent in this relatively remote spot on NW England where locals and others are conscious of their Roman heritage with particular emphasis on the 2nd century AD Hadrian's Wall. Readers may recall my recent post on nearby Drumburgh  (4 miles S.E.) where archaeologists have recently discovered the foundations of a section of the famous wall.

Here is a self-explanatory local signpost at Bowness. Not surprisingly, the three local destinations all have Roman era connections. 


 This local village church at Bowness has extensive Roman connections, viz:

  • Built inside the confines of a former Roman fort on the wall.
  • Constructed with masonry recycled from the Roman fort.
  • Initially used for Roman Catholic worship (until 1540).



  South-Western elevation  

St. Michael’s Church, Bowness-on-Solway

This evening, I am posting information on St. Michael’s Church, Bowness on-Solway, Cumbria, England.

This church sits within within the confines of a former Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall which in turn dates back to the 2nd century AD. More information:-

  • Bowness-on-Solway is believed to have been the far western terminus of Hadrian’s Wall. Here was the second largest fort on the Wall known as Maia.
  • The Solway Firth is a bay or estuary through which runs the boundary between England and Scotland. This area has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is rich in bird life.
  • St. Michael’s dates from the 12th century and was constructed using masonry re-cycled from Hadrian’s Wall and remains of the fort. The church may be sited on the former granary of the fort.
  • When constructed, the church would have been used for Roman Catholic worship but since the 16th century has formed part of the Anglican Communion ( Episcopalian).
  • The church was subject to a restoration in the 18th century and a north transept added in 1891.
  • Main features are now: wide single chamber; nave, north transept; south porch; and double bell tower. The Norman font was found in a local garden in 1848.
  • The tower bells are not believed to be original. It is believed the bells were stolen from a church in Dumfries, Scotland in retaliation for theft of originals by the Scots in 1626.

Interior 

f 
 
Video clip of interior
 

  
Southern Elevation 

 


More information on Roman Britain can be found here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconstructed Roman Villa

Image
This evening, I am reporting on my visit earlier today to a meticulously reconstructed Roman Villa in Somerset, England.   Funding for the project was provided by a South African billionaire. Specific features of the reconstruction project which is known as 'Villa Ventorum': Employed hundreds of architects, builders, archaelogists, mosaic makers, fresco painters and experts on ancient plumbing. The new build was built close to the remains of the original villa which dates from AD351. Incorporates the only working hypocaust system in Europe to create authentic Roman underfloor heating. Thne system also provides heating for the internal baths. Designed to appear to visitors as though still in use. Mosaics and frescoes have been made below the top standards of the time (e.g. Chedworth ) to reflect the social rank of the resident family. Incorporates a Roman 'fast food bar' allong the lines of that found in Pompeii . (Core of above information sourced from the Times newspap...
Read more

Fort Augustus, a popular visitor site on southern tip of Loch Ness

Image
Loch Ness from flight of locks at Fort Augustus, Scottish Highlands This evening, I am posting information on Fort Augustus, a busy tourist village on the southern tip of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Summary information on Fort Augustus as follows:- Population about 650 persons. Distance, about 160 miles from Edinburgh and 35 miles from Inverness entailing journey times of 3.5 hours and 1 hour respectively. Well endowed with hotels and other accommodation plus shops, restaurants and visitor attractions. From here visitors can avail of boat trips on Loch Ness. Home to an impressive flight of five locks on the Caledonian Canal. Latter dates from 1822 and is now primarily used by pleasure boats. Closely linked with the 18th century Jacobite uprising in that (a) the village was renamed Fort Augustus (after Prince William Augustus, third son of King George II) consequent upon construction of a British military (redcoat) fort in 1742 and (b) the same Pri...
Read more

York, England and its Roman origins.

Image
Street decoration in York York is an ancient city in northern England. Here visitors can connect with the city's growth over the past 2000 years, from the Roman period then Viking, medieval and modern. However, this post places an emphasis on the Roman period. Roman York York was known as Eboracum. Consistent with other Roman forts the plan at York was based on a playing card design with strong external defences and a grid of streets inside. Hadrian visited in AD 120 in context of initiative to build his famous wall. Initially York was garrisoned by the Ninth Legion and subsequently the Sixth Legion. Roman HQ building The civilian section contained public buildings such as bath houses and temples plus fine houses for the wealthy. The Emperor, Septimus Severus used York as a base for military campaigns in the north during 208-211. In AD 306 the emperor Constantinus I died in York and his son Constantine the Great was acclaimed emperor by the army. R...
Read more