<< Our Photo Pages >> St Mary Magdalene (Hart) - Early Christian Sculptured Stone in England in County Durham
Submitted by Anne T on Wednesday, 12 February 2020 Page Views: 1142
Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: St Mary Magdalene (Hart)Country: England
NOTE: This site is 2.744 km away from the location you searched for.
County: County Durham Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone
Nearest Town: Hartlepool Nearest Village: Hart
Map Ref: NZ4704835105
Latitude: 54.708769N Longitude: 1.271328W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Anne T visited on 5th Feb 2020 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 St Mary Magdalene, Hart: From the exterior of the building, I did not expect to 'walk back in time' into this splendid parish church. Such a sense of history, and what fragments of sculptured stones - a real treat. The church was only open for an hour on Wednesdays, between 3pm and 4pm at this time of year, essentially for quiet prayer, but the time flew, and we kept the church warden longer than intended. I would have loved to have spent another hour here, just enjoying the atmosphere.
Tucked away next to the village primary/first school, only the tower of this church can be seen from the parking area between the school and the church, but head into the churchyard, and what appears to be a church largely restored in the late 19th century appears. However, step into the south porch and into the nave, you enter a largely Anglo Saxon and Norman interior.
The village of Hart was a "notable Saxon settlement, being the administrative centre of Heortnesse, which stretched from the River Tees to Castle Eden in the 7th Century". The church guide tells us that there is evidence for a wooden building on this site from the 7th century, being replaced by stone by the Normans in the 11th/12th century.
The church is recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 27084 and Historic England List Entry No. 1249898 (Church of St Mary Magdalene), with more information on the church's own website: Hart Church History.
Inside the church are a number of stones built into the west end of the nave and the south aisle. Stored under pews at the eastern end of the nave and the south aisle are a number of Anglo Saxon cross fragments and some later architectural fragments. The polished limestone top of the altar includes five inscribed consecration crosses carved into its surface.
Some original Anglo Saxon stonework also remains in the chancel arch and over the arches of the north aisle. On the external south wall of the sanctuary is a carved representation of St George and the Dragon. Within the south porch are six carved heads.
Nearby, opposite the school, is part of the c1300 wall of the manor house belonging to the Brus and Clifford families.
The church guide tells us that a local witch, Alison Laws, was buried in the churchyard in the 16th century, along with a 'fornacatrix', Ellen Thompson, and Old Mother Midnight of Elwick in 1941. We were told by the very informative and interesting church warden who opened the church for us that the very ornate 15th century font was attacked by a previous vicar who took exception to the imagery on it, hence the large crack all around its bowl!
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