<< Our Photo Pages >> St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) - Ancient Cross in England in Northumberland

Submitted by Anne T on Sunday, 23 September 2018  Page Views: 1578

Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) Alternative Name: St Andrew's Church (Heddon-on-the-Wall)
Country: England County: Northumberland Type: Ancient Cross
Nearest Town: Prudhoe  Nearest Village: Heddon on the Wall
Map Ref: NZ1338666892
Latitude: 54.996430N  Longitude: 1.792298W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 5

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Anne T visited on 19th Sep 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4 St Andrew's Church, Heddon on the Wall: The church is no longer open every day, but we were asked to go along to Holy Communion at 10.30am on a Thursday and stay and enjoy the church afterwards. A very kind lady called Ann showed us round (I think she mentioned her husband was the historian), and I got proper photographs of the Anglo Saxon Cross Head in the Sanctuary this time (last time I visited I wasn’t aware this was an old piece, just thought it was an architectural fragment). There are a number of other really interesting fragments on the west window sill of the meeting room. I really love the way the arches between the nave and chancel and chancel and sanctuary have settled over the years. Wonderful place! Would have loved to have wandered around this church on my own.

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : The Saxo-Norman cross finial (or possibly a grave marker), cemented to the north window sill in the sanctuary of this old church. Found underneath the vestry floor during renovations, this is dated to the eleventh century. See AS Corpus Heddon-on-the-Wall entry for more information. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Ancient Cross in Northumberland

The church of St Andrew's in Heddon on the Wall is sited at the highest point in the village, with a view over the Tyne valley to the south. The church is recorded as Historic England List ID 1042270 and Pastscape Monument No. 22859. These tell us the main body of the church is 12th and 13th century, restored with the west end added in 1839, but still with some late Saxon masonry. The short church guides tell us that "experts date (the earliest parts of the walls) to 600-800 AD." The outline of the original semi-circular Saxon apse is marked at the east end of choir/west end of the present sanctuary. The Heddon History website tells us: "The church, which was consecrated in 630AD, has had a name change over the centuries. In the visitation of Archdeacon Thomas Sharpe, c. 1729, the church is called the church of St Philip and St Andrew. The combination of St Philip and St Andrew was so unusual that by 1772 it had become the church of St Philip and St James … This dedication remained until 1886, when it was restored to St Andrew."

The eleventh century finial cross or grave marker, found under the vestry floor, is described and photographed in the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture as Heddon-on-the-Wall. Possibly from the Saxo-Norman overlap period, this fragment is now cemented to the north window sill of the sanctuary. It has two carved sides, and sits to the east of a now blocked Anglo Saxon door into the chancel (now the door to the vestry).

Pastscape Monument No. 22810 makes reference to a Roman centurial stone, which in 1957, was recorded as being on a window sill in the south aisle; this may have been moved into the meeting room at the north western end of the church.

This church used to be open during daylight hours, but appears to be now limited to a short period after the Thursday morning Communion Service, 10.30am to 11.00am. We were invited to attend the service and 'stay on and enjoy the church after', although it may be possible to arrange a different time through the vicar. See 'A Church Near You' for contact details.

Visitors may also be interested in the short section of one of the few 'wide' portions of Hadrian's Wall remaining; this runs from NZ 13622 66899 to NZ 13794 66862, to the east of the church, along Hexham Road. This section which includes the insertion of a medieval corn drying kiln within the width of the wall.
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St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : Is this the Roman centurial stone mentioned in Pastscape 22810? Being sited so near to Hadrian's Wall, the lady who showed us round (and who's husband is a historian) told us part of the church had been built with stone from the wall. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : On the window sill at the western end of the meeting room (at the western end of the church), there are three interesting architectural fragments. This appears to be a cross-incised fragment of an old grave marker, not mentioned in the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : On the exterior of the church, at the east gable of the south aisle, there is what the church guide describes as "Saxon long and short work" - said to be a corner of the nave of the old Saxon church, "built up alternatively of short stout stones and long stones on end." The guide says experts have dated this church to AD 650. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : Husband, Andrew, who is taller than I am, managed to lean over the top of the cross finial to get a photo of its reverse side, which is just as crisply carved and unworn as its southern face. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : This doorway, now the entrance into the vestry, is dated as being Saxon. I found its position a little strange, as it is inserted into the north wall of the church, but leads directly into what would have been then the semi-circular apse at the east end of the church. The cross finial is sited just to the east of this doorway. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)
St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) submitted by Anne T : I was allowed to stand behind the altar to get this photograph of the cross head. I considered this space 'just for the vicar' but the lady who kindly showed us round said "someone has to clean there - go on up!"

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 227m E 81° Hadrian's Wall (Heddon on the Wall)* Misc. Earthwork (NZ13616693)
 1.2km WSW 254° Houghton Camp, Heddon on the Hill* Ancient Village or Settlement (NZ12246657)
 1.4km E 99° Throckley Bank Portable Rock Art (NZ1482066670)
 1.5km E 99° Throckley Bank Top Rock Art (NZ1482866677)
 2.3km S 189° Simmery Hill Cist, Clara Vale* Cist (NZ13026462)
 2.3km SSE 160° Ryton 3 Rock Art (NZ1420064700)
 2.7km SE 139° Ryton Motte or Tumulus* Artificial Mound (NZ15176483)
 2.9km ENE 67° Dewley Burn Artificial Mound (NZ1601868016)
 3.1km SSE 153° Ryton 1 Rock Art (NZ1480064170)
 3.3km NE 56° Callerton Lane End cropmark Ancient Village or Settlement (NZ16106875)
 3.6km SSE 162° Ryton 2 Rock Art (NZ1450063500)
 3.7km SSE 158° The Ryton Stone Rock Art (NZ1475063500)
 3.7km SSW 198° Bradley Hall Ice House Barrow Round Barrow(s) (NZ12236333)
 3.8km SSW 193° Bradley Hall Dene Barrow Round Barrow(s) (NZ12536317)
 4.1km WSW 255° Croft's Well (Horsley)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NZ0939965821)
 4.2km W 261° Horsley Hill Homestead* Ancient Village or Settlement (NZ09266624)
 4.6km SE 132° Stella enclosure Ancient Village or Settlement (NZ168638)
 4.7km S 185° White Well, Greenside* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NZ13036222)
 5.4km SSE 164° Holy Well, Greenside* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NZ14936170)
 5.4km SW 231° Prudhoe Castle* Rock Art (NZ09186342)
 5.5km SE 130° Summerhill Cists* Cist (NZ176634)
 5.8km WSW 237° Ovingham Cross* Ancient Cross (NZ08506370)
 5.8km SSW 200° North View enclosure* Ancient Village or Settlement (NZ114614)
 6.2km WSW 249° Eddybroth Well (Whittle Dene)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NZ0760464659)
 6.6km WSW 253° Hunters Hill (Ovington) Rock Art (NZ0711064900)
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"St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall)" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Re: St Andrew's Church (Heddon on the Wall) by Anne T on Sunday, 23 September 2018
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There is an Archaeological Assessment available for St Andrew's. This was carried out by Peter Ryder in November 2006. A copy can be downloaded from the Heddon History website. Scroll down to almost the bottom of the page, underneath the Provisional Phased Plan of the church and click 'download file'.
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