Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert 2007


East End: Clasping Buttresses, High Pitched Roof and 1877 Window 2006


Front view of the Church of St. Mary & St. Cuthbert 2016


Side view of the Church of St. Mary & St. Cuthbert 2016


Chester-le-Street, St Mary and St Cuthbert © DCC 2001


Tower of the Church of St Mary & St Cuthbert 2016


End of the Church of St. Mary & St. Cuthbert 2016


Window of the Church of St. Mary & St. Cuthbert 2016


King George VI Memorial Garden at the Church of St. Mary & St. Cuthbert 2016

Large church on the site of an Early Medieval cathedral, extant 883-995 when Chester-le-Street was the see of Lindisfarne. Anchorage founded circa 1383. Medieval college of secular priests, founded 1286 and dissolved in 1574. At the time of the Norman Conquest the church probably consisted of a nave formed by the late 9th-10th century cathedral proper, with a chancel built circa 1056. The east end of the chancel was rebuilt in the late 12th-early 13th century. The eastern three-bays of the arcade were built circa 1210, the western extension of the nave and the lower parts of the tower are of a similar date. Early 14th century alterations included the rebuilding of the outer walls and the widening of the aisles, the re-setting of the north and south doorways and the addition of the north chapel. The addition of the belfry and the spire to the west tower is thought to have taken place in 1409 (the date of the earliest bell). The outer north aisle, or Lumley chapel, was probably built in the 15th century and the vestry was also added at this time. The formation of the Anchorage within the western bay of the north aisle may also have taken place in the 15th century, though the extension outside the line of the aisle is of post-Reformation date. The Lumley chapel was demolished following the Dissolution of the College in 1547 and the vestry, which was originally a two-storey building, was remodelled. The Lambton pew, with its basement vault, was added in 1831. Various restorations have taken place in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the Anchorage was converted into a Heritage Centre in 1986.

There are a number of features of the church dedicated as memorials to fallen soldiers of the First World War and WW2.

This is a Grade I listed building protected by law.