St Bartholomew's Church, Croxdale
Religious Place In Croxdale, County Durham
19th century church built by the Salvin family.
This place was a bit of a Brucie Bonus for us when we spotted it on our walk around the Croxdale Hall Estate and we went for a closer look. The church was closed, but we had a wander around the graveyard and admired the views over Durham. As we left, we chatted to two people who were about to set the church up for Sunday Service and they asked if we wanted to look inside. Yes please!
Normally the church is not open to the public apart from during the service at 9am in a Sunday, so we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The gent, whose name I did not catch, filled us in on the history of St Bartholomew's and allowed us to wander round and take photos.
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.
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How To Find St Bartholomew's Church, Croxdale
Where Is St Bartholomew's Church, Croxdale?
Lat / Long
54.733042, -1.587051
What three words
Where To Park For St Bartholomew's Church, Croxdale?
Lat / Long
54.733582, 54.733582
What three words
There is a few spaces on the other side of the A167 near Sunderland Bridge.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
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