St Andrew

Welcome to this ancient, monastic church probably founded by St Wilfred almost over 1300 years ago! You are standing in a really special building that has stood in historic, wild Northumberland. It is one of the most important surviving Saxon monuments in Northumbria except for Hexham crypt.

Here in the only substantial stone building in the centre of Corbridge, past residents were able to survive the burning and pillaging of their timber houses by the Danes who invaded before the Scots during border warfare which lasted over 300 years from 1296.

The church was built in approximately 674 as part of a monastery. It had a small porch at the west, a tall narrow nave and a small sanctuary. Light shone in from only 3 small windows set high in the roof.

In 919 the Danes invaded and the church was partially destroyed. The Normans came in the 11th century and they set about rebuilding the church. They raised the tower, building the north and south transepts and made the entrance on the southern side. It was an era of peace and stability.
Corbridge flourished and grew making a very prosperous village!

Times changed with the border warfare of William Wallace in 1296 and the Black Death in 1349.

St Andrew’s lay in ruins until 1767 when a prosperous Corbridge inhabitant paid for a workhouse, village pant and the original church clock. It only had the hour hand, getting its minute hand in 1861, progress!

The Victorian era saw new windows, bells, a beautiful new porch and our unique war memorial lychgate.

Why not spend some time in our beautiful, tranquil surroundings, look at many more exciting treasures we have to show you, then close your eyes to pass through the ages which have guaranteed that our church has survived.

May it be an inspiration.