St. Margaret's Church, Durham
Saint Margaret鈥檚 Church has been helping parishioners dodge long commutes since the 1100s. Originally set up as a 鈥淐hapel of Ease鈥� (basically a spiritual backup plan for folks too far from Saint Oswald鈥檚), it gave tired legs a place to worship a bit closer to home. Officially, it鈥檚 Saint Margaret of Antioch, and you鈥檒l find it in Crossgate-well within cathedral-spotting distance. It didn鈥檛 get its own burial ground until 1431, so for a while, souls had to be laid to rest elsewhere.
The earliest bones of the church-its nave, south aisle, and chancel-likely date back to 1150. By century鈥檚 end, it bulked up with a north aisle and nave in that solid Norman style. Two original windows survived the medieval makeover, one in the chancel and one in the south nave. In the 1400s, the Lady Chapel joined the lineup, taking over from an earlier shrine to the Virgin Mary.
Inside, you鈥檒l find the usual suspects: a pipe organ, plenty of memorial plaques, and three bells in the tower-two medieval, one a 1500s addition. But the standout is a modern twist: a bold 20th-century Madonna and Child carved by teacher-artist Brian Scraton, sitting coolly in a 12th-century column niche like she owns the place.
One of Durham鈥檚 oldest churches, Saint Margaret鈥檚 is now a proud nationally listed gem. A little quiet, a little quirky, and still ringing true after 900 years.
The earliest bones of the church-its nave, south aisle, and chancel-likely date back to 1150. By century鈥檚 end, it bulked up with a north aisle and nave in that solid Norman style. Two original windows survived the medieval makeover, one in the chancel and one in the south nave. In the 1400s, the Lady Chapel joined the lineup, taking over from an earlier shrine to the Virgin Mary.
Inside, you鈥檒l find the usual suspects: a pipe organ, plenty of memorial plaques, and three bells in the tower-two medieval, one a 1500s addition. But the standout is a modern twist: a bold 20th-century Madonna and Child carved by teacher-artist Brian Scraton, sitting coolly in a 12th-century column niche like she owns the place.
One of Durham鈥檚 oldest churches, Saint Margaret鈥檚 is now a proud nationally listed gem. A little quiet, a little quirky, and still ringing true after 900 years.
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St. Margaret's Church on Map
Sight Name: St. Margaret's Church
Sight Location: Durham, England (See walking tours in Durham)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Durham, England (See walking tours in Durham)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Durham, England
Create Your Own Walk in Durham
Creating your own self-guided walk in Durham is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Durham Introduction Walking Tour
According to the legend, it all started with a missing cow. Back in 995, a group of monks fleeing Viking raiders were hauling around the remains of Saint Cuthbert when their saintly cargo decided to stop moving. No matter how hard they tried, the bier wouldn鈥檛 budge-until a milkmaid chasing her lost dun cow wandered past. ("Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey. ) The monks took the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles