Featured: How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

Sacred Stones in Indian Civilization: with Special Reference to Megaliths

Sacred Stones in Indian Civilization: with Special Reference to Megaliths

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Escomb Cross - Ancient Cross in England in County Durham

Submitted by Anne T on Sunday, 21 September 2014  Page Views: 8513

Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: Escomb Cross
Country: England County: County Durham Type: Ancient Cross
Nearest Town: West Auckland  Nearest Village: Escomb
Map Ref: NZ1892830139  Landranger Map Number: 92
Latitude: 54.665979N  Longitude: 1.708064W
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.
4 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.
5 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
3

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Marko visited on 18th Nov 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 5

Anne T visited on 18th Sep 2014 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5 Escomb Saxon Church, Saxon Green, Escomb, Northumberland: This church is well worth a visit as it is a showcase for simple, understated architecture with an enormous ambience of history and worship. Peaceful, cool and reflective, Escomb is said to be ‘the most complete Anglo-Saxon Church in England’ and I’d agree with this. The site is said to date from between 650 to 690 AD and is sited at the heart of this tiny village 2km west of Bishop Auckland. The church is kept locked, but the key is kept on a hook outside the door of a property immediately behind the church and is readily accessible. I’ve been here twice before in 2007; once just to say I’d been here; the second time to meet a colleague at The Saxon Inn across the road for a pre-meeting on the way to a conference in Durham, and popped in. But until today, I’ve never really stopped to look, sit and take in the atmosphere and the simplicity and beauty that goes back to Saxon times (and perhaps beyond?). Having found a brilliant resource on the internet (The Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture on Durham University’s web site), today’s visit was particularly to look at the Anglo-Saxon cross shafts in the porch and re-visit the rest of the Anglo-Saxon artefacts I’d seen, but not really appreciated on previous visits - the inscribed Saxon cross on the wall between the nave and the sanctuary (just behind the pulpit), the Saxon grave marker behind the altar, the Roman inscriptions and the Saxon architecture and the sundial on the exterior south wall. Having spent well over an hour here, I drove over to St Andrew’s Church in Aycliffe village for another ‘feast’ of Anglo-Saxon artefacts.

kelpie kelpie have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4 Ambience: 4 Access: 5

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture reference: Escombe 04. Fragment described as either the corner of a shrine or a cross-shaft dating from the late seventh to early eighth century. (Vote or comment on this photo)
There are numerous fragments of early Christian crosses and carvings dating from the 6th to 10th century in this County Durham church.

Pictured left: A fragment described as either the corner of a shrine or a cross-shaft dating from the late seventh to early eighth century. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture reference: Escombe 04.
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Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Escomb Saxon Church taken from just inside the gate. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Thorgrim : Very early incised cross, now erected behind the altar. It formerly stood in the open and is thought to be the original preaching cross that preceded the building of the church between 670 and 690. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Thorgrim : Fragment of a later Saxon cross showing an eagle. (9th century?) In the porch of Escomb Church. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Inscribed stone believed to be of sixth century Celtic origin, set high up in the wall by the window in the south wall of the sanctuary. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Saxon consecration cross situated immediately behind the pulpit next to the arch dividing the nave from the sanctuary. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture reference: Escombe 07. Described as a slab or grave marker from the eighth or ninth century, sited behind the altar.

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture reference: Escombe 05. Section of a plain cross-shaft dating from the seventh to ninth century. Located in the porch.

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Fragment which I think is as described in Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture as 'Escomb 02'. Contained within a glass box, apparently fixed to the stone bench in the porch, the carving is difficult to see, but shows part of a vine-scroll and stem and a triangular section of grapes/berries to the bottom right hand corner.

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Fragment described in Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture as 'Escomb 01 Fragment B'. This stands next to Fragment A.

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : Fragment described in Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture as 'Escomb 01 Fragment A'. Located within the porch with a small collection of other cross shafts and grave covers.

Escomb Cross
Escomb Cross submitted by Anne T : The seventh or eighth century sun dial set into the exterior south wall of the nave, to the east of the porch. Whilst the slab (edged by a simple twist) has now been cut, over the top of the dial is a bulbous projection, and different sources say this could either be the head of a beast or the bottom part of a kneeling figure.

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