St George Fatfield
Washington, Tyne & Wear
We are a friendly family church with a big heart, serving our community in many ways and hoping to do much more in the future.
St Michael & All Angels is of Saxon foundation, the Saxon doorway and walls were discovered during excavations. There are hints of earlier non Christian worship: probable remains of a Roman temple are under the chancel and a whinstone boulder circle suggests a site of Neolithic worship. Today. you can see above ground a mix of Norman, Medieval and Victorian architecture. The present medieval building is set within a conservation area and together with the Kepier Hall and Almshouses is one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical complex in the region. St Michael & All Angels houses the tomb of Bernard Gilpin, the 'Apostle of the North'. Gilpin was Rector of Houghton from 1557 to 1583, a true disciple of Christ. Discover his love of the poor, his desire to provide schools, his courageous preaching and how he escaped a burning at the stake by Bloody Queen Mary. Discover more about Houghton's famous Rectors, Houghton Feast and the Houghton dragons. Why were there riots in the churchyard? And who was black Douglas?