St Bartholomew's Church, Croxdale

On the Croxdale Hall Estate there is a 12th century church which was a chapel of ease for St Oswalds Church in Durham. (A chapel of ease is a church within a parish to accommodate people who could not reach the main parish church if it was too far away) This ancient church was sold to the Salvin family in 1845, in exchange for the land where St Bartholomew's now sits. The 12th century chapel then became the private church of the Salvin family and still remains so to this day.

The Salvin's opened Croxdale Pit in 1845 and the family thought it necessary to build a church to accommodate the growing population of mining families to the area, and St Bartholomew's was born.

The church is a building of two halves and very different styles. The first section of the church was built between 1843-1846 by architect George Pickering and between 1876-1878 a new, much larger nave and chancel were added by CH Fowler and the two different styles are very apparent from the exterior.

It is a lovely church inside with a peaceful atmosphere and some beautiful features. There are some stained glass windows by prolific designers Clayton and Bell, a decorative wooden font cover from the early 1800s and some lovely detailed stonework in the arches of the older part of the building. The graveyard is the resting place of James Finlay Weir Johnston who founded the nearby Durham Johnston School.

As mentioned, access to the church might be limited, however, it's still a pretty stop off before you enter the Croxdale Hall Estate.