Anglo-Saxon architecture

Anglo-Saxon architecture was a special style of building used in England from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest in 1066. Most buildings were made from timber and had thatch roofs. They were often built in small towns near farms, rivers, or ports. In each town, there was a big hall where people gathered around a central fire.

Many churches from the Anglo-Saxon period still exist today. At least fifty churches have important Anglo-Saxon parts, though sometimes these parts are small or changed over time. These churches are usually made of stone or brick, and some used old Roman pieces in their walls. Two special types of Anglo-Saxon churches are the round-tower church and the tower-nave church. Almost all of these churches are not made of timber, except for one timber church.

Anglo-Saxon church designs changed over time. Early churches were influenced by Celtic styles, while later ones used designs from Early Christian basilicas. In the later years, new styles appeared, including pilaster-strips, blank arcading, baluster shafts, and triangular headed openings. Toward the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, a style called Romanesque began to appear, brought from other places in Europe. This can be seen in older parts of Westminster Abbey, which were built before the Norman style fully took over.

Houses and other secular buildings

Anglo-Saxon buildings for everyday use were usually made of wood and had roofs covered in grass. They were often simple and rectangular, and some had floors that were dug down a little to keep warm. Most of these buildings are gone today.

Even rich people's homes were simple, often just one big room with a fire in the middle and a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. These buildings used wooden posts for support, with walls filled in using sticks and clay, called wattle and daub. Some buildings were large, showing the importance of the people who lived there.

Church architecture: historical context

After the fall of Roman Britain in the fifth century, new people came to the land, including the Angles and Saxons. Though they had their own beliefs, Christianity began to spread. Missionaries from places like Ireland helped bring Christianity to areas such as Northumbria and Wales.

Important Christian places were built, such as the monastery at Lindisfarne and the cathedral at Canterbury. Over time, churches became bigger and more detailed. The Viking raids caused damage, but buildings were rebuilt with stronger defenses, like walls and towers, to help protect towns such as Oxford.

7th century

Stone was used to build churches from the start of the 7th century, even though most buildings then were made of wood. The earliest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon architecture are from this time, beginning with the work of Augustine of Canterbury in Kent around 597 AD. He probably brought builders from Frankish Gaul to help build important churches.

Important early churches include the cathedral and abbey in Canterbury, and others at Minster in Sheppey, Reculver, and the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall in Bradwell-on-Sea. These churches usually had a simple main hall called a nave and a separate area for clergy called an apse. Some surviving examples from this time are All Saints' Church, Brixworth in Northamptonshire, St Martin's Church, Canterbury, and Old Minster, Winchester.

8th to 10th centuries

Little is known about buildings from the 8th and 9th centuries because of frequent Viking raids. Design and decoration might have been inspired by ideas from the Carolingian Renaissance in Europe, which aimed to revive ancient Roman styles.

Some important churches from this time include St Wystan's Church, Repton in Derbyshire, St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst in Gloucestershire, All Saints' Church, Earls Barton in Northamptonshire, St Helen's Church in Skipwith, North Yorkshire, St Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, and St Laurence's Church, Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. These buildings show unique features like special arched windows and tower designs.

11th century

The 11th century was when the High Romanesque style began in Britain. This was a time when rich people, like Lady Godiva, helped build many churches. Some important cathedrals, such as Westminster Abbey, were started, but they were rebuilt later, after the year 1066. Some think that St George's Tower in Oxford may have been built before the Normans came and was used as a gate for the old town.

Some famous churches from this time still exist or have parts that remain, including Greensted Church in Essex, Stow Minster in Lincolnshire, and St Bene't's Church in Cambridge. These buildings show us what architecture was like before the Normans arrived.

Diagnostic features

Many churches in England have parts that date back to the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the mid-5th century until 1066. Some of these parts might look like styles used after the Norman Conquest.

Common Anglo-Saxon features include long-and-short quoins, double triangular windows, narrow round-arched windows, herringbone stone work, and a west porch called a narthex. Usually, a church will have only one of these special features.

Some early Anglo-Saxon churches were built like a basilica, with small side chambers called porticus on the north and south sides. Others had a rounded apse at the end of the church. These designs were also used in other times besides the Anglo-Saxon period. Examples of these features can be seen in churches such as Stow Minster in Lincolnshire, St Mary's in Deerhurst, and Corringham, Essex parish church.