St Mary's Church, Norton

Church in Stockton-on-Tees , England

54°35′33″N 1°18′59″W / 54.59248°N 1.31627°W / 54.59248; -1.31627LocationThe Green, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees TS20 1EJCountryEnglandDenominationChurch of EnglandWebsitewww.stmarysnorton.co.ukHistoryStatusActiveFounded1020 (1020)DedicationSt Mary the VirginArchitectureFunctional statusParish churchHeritage designationGrade IAdministrationDioceseDiocese of DurhamArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of AucklandDeaneryStocktonClergyVicar(s)Martin Anderson

St Mary's Church, Norton, is an ancient parish church located on the village green of Norton, County Durham. It is the only cruciform Anglo-Saxon church in northern England and a Grade I listed building.^[1]

Description

Its crossing tower with eight triangular head windows has a battlemented top of later date, and there is a 14th-century effigy of a knight in chainmail. Residing under the church floor there is claimed to be an escape tunnel used by the Saxons and priests when in danger, though it is more probably a drainage culvert. The tunnel leads under the church floor and Norton Green, eventually surfacing in the Albany housing estate. The church floor was recently renovated and Saxon remains and artefacts were discovered in the tunnel entrance.

Churchyard

The grave of John Walker, the inventor of friction matches, is located in the churchyard.^[2]

References

^ Historic England. "Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, The Green (1140012)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ "The Home Page of St.Mary the Virgin, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees". Stmarysnorton.org.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2022.