St Andrew's Church, Bywell. Photo by Harry Rowland.

[NZ 0484 6149] Church. (1)

When Walter de Bolbec founded the Abbey of Blanchland in 1165, he endowed it with the church of Bywell. The ordination of St Andrew's vicarage took place before 1291. The church of St Andrew has been largely reconstructed in modern times, although the ground plan is preserved. All the ancient parts, except for the pre-Conquest tower, appear to be 13th century.
The tower is in four stages and the shaft of an Anglian memorial cross is built into a second stage window jamb on the south face of the tower. (2)(3)(4)

The tower of St Andrew's belongs to a church built about AD950. The cross shaft, removed not long ago from the tower shows a crude representation of the Crucifixion and the rudeness of the work suggests that it is Norse rather than Celtic; it comes from an earlier church built by Bishop Wilfrid. The only fact on record regarding this church, is that in 803, Egbert was here consecrated 12th Bishop. The greater part of the church is 13th century and it was restored in 1871. (5)

The Dark Age cross-shaft is now set upon a pedestal in the chancel. (6)

No change, church in use. (7)

Full description of the 10th century cross-shaft, and a fragment of late 7th-early 8th century impost used as the base of the cross.
Two sculptured stone fragments in St Andrew's Church, Bywell. One, the lower part of a cross-shaft, has as its base an impost, possibly of Roman origin. Both fragments were first noticed by Featherstonhaugh in the mid-19th century.
The cross-shaft measures 0.724m x 0.241m x 0.213m deep. Two sides and all edges completely chiselled away, but carving on one face in good condition. Carving achieved by punch and chisel technique. The motifs place the shaft in a Viking context. Date 10th century.
The impost, used as a base for the above shaft, has carving on two faces. Measures 0.168m x 0.482m x 0.350m deep. Condition, worn. Carving survives on two faces. Possible copy of a Roman type or reused. Could have been an architectural feature of the church, which would place the earliest structure in the same period as Hexham and Corbridge. Date, late 7th to early 8th century. (8)

A dowsing survey of St Andrew's Church seems to suggest that a foundation running north-south underlies the two-period Anglo-Saxon tower. (9)

Stands in a circular churchyard. (10)

One of two churches in Bywell, both Anglo-Saxon origin. Presumably built to serve two Anglo-Saxon estates based in the village. Anglo-Saxon features in the tower, eg side alternate quoins. The lower parts of the tower appears to pre-date the upper stages which are likely to be immediately pre-Conquest. Part of west wall of nave is Anglo-Saxon in date. The early nave roof was higher than the present one on the evidence of Anglo-Saxon quoins. The church is now redundant. (11)

Anglo-Saxon tower of St Andrew's; irregular quoins. No door on west, north or south. Tower arch not original but reconstructed from old stones. (12)

The reredos combines mosaics, glass tiles quartered with a floral design, and opus sectile depictions of Saints Andrew and Peter. It was designed by John W Brown of James Powell and Sons, Whitefriars, London. (13)

Listed Building entry text added. (14)

Architectural recording of the church tower carried out 1999. Stone by stone elevations of the tower have been prepared, suggesting a staged development of the tower through time with different sources of stone, in the later part of the Early Medieval period. (15)

Various excavations carried out in recent times in advance of graves being dug specifically for early archaeology. The original topography is hard to establish with any certainty, over flood deposits of sand and gravel. The churchyard shape is also a composite shape, partly of 19th century outline. (16)(17)

One of the Early Medieval crosses was first recorded built into the walls of the church when recorded by Featherstonhaugh. This was taken out pre-1859 and mounted, probably in the later 19th century with Portland type cement, on a Roman stone. This view confirms the doubts of an Early Medieval date for the base expressed in the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture and will be published in a forthcoming volume of the Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani. (18)

Additional bibliography with detailed recording of the church's fabric and elevations. (19)

Bywell's two churches stand at the meeting point of two Norman baronies which may have reflected a pre-Norman division of lands. Both churches pre-date the Norman Conquest. St Andrew's shows evidence in the lower parts of the tower and its roughly circular graveyard of a much older foundation, certaionly earlier than AD850. The lower stages of the tower are earlier than Ad850 with the upper stages dating from the 10th and 11th centuries. The tower houses two bells, the smaller cast about 1400 and the larger about 1550. The body of the church is mainly 13th century and was extensively enlarged and repaired in 1871.Some 25 12th- and 13th-century grave covers were incorporated into the external walls and as lintels inside the church during the Victorian restoration; most probably date between 1150-1250 and two are probably 14th century. The church was declared redundant in 1973 and vested in The Churches Conservation Trust in 1975. Between 1991-93, 13 of the grave covers were conserved and ten were brought inside the church. (20)

General association with HER 10064 (Roman altar). (21)