The first glimpse of the church at Brixworth from its churchyard gate tells us that this is no ordinary medieval church.The large round arches striding along the nave walls, now blocked but pierced by round headed windows, are made from re-used Roman tiles which add to the rather reddish hue of the church. Also, the unusual half-round turret attached to the square tower signals that here is something different.
This is the largest building with substantial remains to survive from the Anglo-Saxon period, but even so it is not now as large as it was when first constructed. The style of walling at the lower levels, and the results of archaeology, both suggest that the building originates from the eighth century; a time when Mercia was influential in national affairs. Since then it has been in continuous use, which has led some to claim that it is the oldest building still in use north of the Alps.
According to Hugh Candidas, a monk who wrote a chronicle at nearby Peterborough in the twelfth century, a monastery was founded at Brixworth as early as the latter part of the seventh century. However, it is unlikely that the earliest parts of the present structure are from that time; the remains we have now are of the eighth century monastic church, which is thought to have continued in use until the Danes laid the monastery to waste in the late ninth century. Subsequently the church building was restored as the parish church, probably in the tenth century.
The present church is about 160 feet long in total and the central structure consists of a nave, without aisles, and a presbytery, or choir. To the east is an apsidal chancel, surrounded on its outside by a sunken walkway, now roofless. This feature is sometimes described as an ambulatory or a ring crypt. A chapel adjoins the south side and to the west stands a tower and spire with an attached semi-circular stair turret giving access to the upper floors.
The eighth century parts of the church consist of the lower section of the nave and the presbytery up to the clerestory, the lower half of the tower and probably a small section of the north wall of the chancel. The ambulatory round the chancel is perhaps a little later while the stair turret and the upper section of the tower are of the tenth century. The south chapel is thirteenth century and the spire was added in the fifteenth. A major restoration was undertaken in the nineteenth century.
The large arches of the north and south walls of the nave suggest that they originally formed internal arcades and this has been confirmed by excavations which revealed the foundations of porticus, or side chapels, attached to each side of the nave. Excavations have also shown that two, probably single story, buildings flanked the early low tower to form a narthex, or entrance porch. The doorways to these side compartments can be seen at the base of the tower, the southern one still being in use. Following the Danish raids in the tenth century the side chapels and porches were demolished, the tower heightened and the chancel rebuilt to form the parish church.
The present church displays a number of particular features. One to note is the way the arches of the former arcades and the doors and windows use salvaged Roman tiles to form their heads. These tiles are laid in a non-radial fashion, which to our eyes seems to suggest poor workmanship. However, our judgments on this are perhaps conditioned by familiarity with the more regular appearance of Norman and later medieval buildings. It is prudent to remember that the arches at Brixworth have stood the test of time for several centuries longer than any of the Norman and medieval building that we now see. As there are no signs that the arches at Brixworth are about to fall down we can conclude, perhaps rightly, that the original construction was actually very sound indeed. If, as is thought, the walls were originally plastered, at least on the inside, then their ‘irregular’ appearance would not have been visible. These rounded arches, along with the round heads of the doors and surviving windows, must have given the interior a markedly Roman feel, something which the early church fathers would surely have welcomed.
Later features also add to the interest of this building, not least is the 10th century triple window on the inside of the tower looking into the nave. This cuts through the arch of a now blocked upper doorway which once gave access from the tower into an earlier gallery above the end of the nave. Sequences such as this throw an interesting light onto the changing uses of the church over the centuries.
The walkway outside the chancel is an intriguing feature. There are signs that it was once roofed with a stone barrel vault and access was gained to it at each end from doorways and steps in the east wall of the choir. The remains of these can still be seen both from inside the church and outside in the walkway. The layout is reminiscent of the arrangements in the reliquary crypts at Hexham, Ripon, Wing and Repton where a dark passage leads from the church underground to a place where a holy relic can be viewed while another passage returns the pilgrim back to the church. Here at Brixworth there is no obvious place for the relic to have been housed. Was there a chamber underneath the altar in the apse perhaps? None was found when the walkway was discovered during the nineteenth century excavations but it is just possible that the place for the relic was quite small and not recognised at the time. Crypts like these, with their dark, and possibly frightening, passageways leading underground to a venerated relic illustrate a mysterious, even mystical, side of Anglo-Saxon religious belief far removed from our world-view today.
A further puzzle surrounds Brixworth. A number of synods or councils of the church were held a place called Clofesho between the years 747AD and 825AD. Here many important church regulations were enacted, however, despite this historical importance the site of Clofesho has never been identified, although a number of candidates have been suggested and hotly debated over the years. The size and surviving early features of the church at Brixworth clearly suggest that it was once a place of some importance and this fact, along with it having a central position in lowland England, has led to some to put forward Brixworth as a candidate for the location of the missing ‘Clofesho’. The arguments for and against all the candidates are technical and very speculative but Brixworth cannot be easily dismissed as a possibility. If proved this would make Brixworth a very important place indeed in early English history. However, new and more certain evidence needs to be found if ‘Clofesho’ is to be satisfactorily identified.
The church at Brixworth is a remarkable building not only for its architecture but also for the evidence of devotional practices it provides and for its possible historical associations. It speaks of all of these but leaves many intriguing questions still unanswered. This makes it well worth a visit whether your interest is architectural, historical or religious.
Sources consulted
‘Anglo-Saxon Architecture’ by Taylor and Taylor
‘The Arts of Early England’ Vol II by Baldwin Brown
‘All Saints Brixworth. A visitor guide’ by Rev’d Nicholas Chubb
‘All Saints Brixworth’ Harold M. Taylor. Vaughan Paper No32: University of Leicester.
Brixworth Archaeological Research Committee: Two Interim Reports 1985
June 21st, 2010
