HISTORY OF ALL SAINTS’

Brixworth church is a rare and magnificent survivor from the past and poses many questions. Situated atop a hill on the north edge of the village, it was built in the Dark Ages when Roman Britain was dead and the Anglo-Saxon era had not fully emerged. Brixworth’s Parish Church is the largest surviving Anglo-Saxon building in England and has been in continuous use as a centre for Christian worship for over 1300 years. However, the present-day building is somewhat smaller than the original.

It is a Grade I Listed Building being of exceptional interest both architecturally and historically. The walls are composed of rubble, stone and some Roman brick tiles and at the east end of the church the remains of a ring-crypt can be seen, while at the west end there is an external stair-turret, one of only four in England.

The church has seen many changes, been altered and partially rebuilt since Anglo-Saxon times, but much of the structure still survives. In the mid-1800s the Victorians were responsible for a great deal of the restoration work in the church, but this helped preserve and sympathetically enhance the appearance of the magnificent building you can see today.