Ebb's Nook

The place known as Ebb's Nook is a bit of a windswept, but picturesque promontory jutting out into the north sea just to the north of Beadnell Harbour, but it has quite a history to it. Its connections with a 7th century Northumbrian Princess called Ebba, mark it as an important religious place, though you wouldn't know it from what you can see left today.

The exact origins of the chapel at Ebb's Nook are shrouded in the mists of time, but it is believed to have been founded by St. Ebba herself. This remarkable woman, a sister of King Oswald of Northumbria, fled to Scotland after the invasion of King Edwin in 616. She later returned to Northumbria and established several religious houses, including one at Ebchester and another on Kirk Hill in Scotland.

The chapel at Ebbs Nook, though modest in size, held great spiritual significance. It was a place of pilgrimage and prayer, drawing visitors from far and wide. The ruins that remain today offer a glimpse into that past, but only if you have access to high tech gadgets and / or a handy team of archaeologists.

In 2012 there just so happened to be a handy team of archaeologists from the popular TV show, Time Team who visited the site to carry out some excavations on the chapel and its surrounds. Instigated by Northumberland County Council, who owned the land, the excavation uncovered human remains, along with various phases of the chapel, although it was found that there had been some disturbance by the creation of World War II trenches. If you search the internet you may be able to find a copy of the programme to watch!

The chapel and monastic site are actually well preserved, but have been covered over to protect them from the weather and people, and over time various other excavations have been carried out to help gain a better understanding of the site. The following paragraph is an extract from its Historic England, Scheduled Monument Official Entry.

“The monument includes the remains of a post-conquest medieval chapel situated on the rocky promontory known as Ebb's Nook. The chapel is surrounded by a range of earthwork features, some of which are considered to pre-date the chapel and provide evidence of an earlier monastic site here.

The visible remains consist of a stone built, rectangular chapel and a series of earthworks. The chapel, which was partially excavated in 1853 is situated at the centre of the complex and measures 17m east-west by 4m north-south. It is thought to date, in its present form, from the 12th or 13th centuries AD. It consists of a nave, a chancel and a later western annexe, although it is now overgrown and much of the detail of the internal layout uncovered by the excavation is obscured.

Although other buildings surrounding the chapel were noted in the mid-19th century they have only recently been understood. Immediately east of the chapel there is a rectangular stony earthwork measuring 3m north-south and 4m east-west; this is thought to be the remains of an earlier building, built on a slightly different axis to that of the later chapel. The stone chapel and the earlier structure form the south side of a walled enclosure 22m by 13m, the other sides being formed by low rubble walls.

This complex is situated at the eastern end of a larger enclosure 55m by 25m. The perimeter of this enclosure is formed by a large bank of earth which cuts off the promontory at the western landward end; the bank runs around the edge of the promontory on the western and north-eastern sides and varies in width from 1m to 2m and stands to a maximum height of 1m.

The bank is thought to have originally continued along the south side of the promontory; here the cliff face has been eroded and surface traces are not visible. Within the enclosure there are several hollows at the western end and a linear hollow which cuts the north-eastern perimeter bank; these are interpreted as the result of later quarrying and military activity. A stone circular feature 1.5m in diameter is situated at the extreme eastern end of the promontory; it is composed of reddened stone and is thought to be the remains of a hearth associated with the use of the site.”