All Saints’ Church, Brixworth lies 7 miles north of Northampton. The core of the
church is Anglo-Saxon and the research published here provides an unprecedented account of one of the most important buildings of its period surviving in England. The building of the main body of the church was towards the end of the 8th century, with a western tower, stair turret and polygonal apse added before the end of the 9th. Major modifications were made during the early and later medieval periods.

From the early 19th century the church attracted much antiquarian interest, especially by topographical draughtsmen, whose drawings are crucial to its understanding before major restoration. Reverend Charles Frederick Watkins (Vicar, 1832–1871) made a particular study of the church fabric and identified both surviving and demolished Anglo-Saxon structures. Restoration under his direction reversed most of the medieval changes he recognised within the standing fabric, leaving the church with much the same appearance as it has today.

The Brixworth Archaeological Research Committee, founded in 1972, embarked on an in-depth archaeological and historical study of All Saints’. Limited excavation revealed
evidence for the former extent of the cemetery and examined remains of the early structures to the north of the church, including one whose foundations cut a ditch containing 8th-century material. The later 8th-century date for the foundation of the church was confirmed by radiocarbon dates from charcoal extracted from construction mortar in the church fabric.
A complete stone-by-stone survey of the standing fabric, accompanied by petrological
identifications, has led to a refined appraisal of the construction sequence and the identification of‘exotic’ stone types and Roman bricks reused from earlier buildings up to 40 km distant.

The archaeological, geological and laboratory findings presented here have been amplified by contextual studies placing the church against its archaeological, architectural, liturgical and historical background, with detailed comparisons with standing and excavated buildings of similar age in north Europe and Italy.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of illustrations
• List of tables
• Abbreviations
• List of contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword I
• Foreword II
• Preface
• Summaries
• Part One: The Presentation of the Evidence
  • Section 2: Introduction
    • The Church and its Setting
    • The Establishment of the Research Committee and its Programme
      • The First Decade
      • Excavation
      • The Surveys and their Results
      • Conclusion of the Project
  • Section 3: Brief General Description of the Church
    • Introduction
    • The Anglo-Saxon and Later Medieval Church
    • The 19th-Century Restoration
  • Section 4: Observations and Investigations, 19th to Mid-20th Centuries
    • Introduction
    • Antiquarian Drawing and Writing
      • Gilbert Flesher of Towcester (1772–1845)
      • George Clarke of Scaldwell (1790–1868)
      • William Twopeny (1797–1873)
      • William Henry Bartlett (1809–54)
      • John Chessell Buckler (1793–1894)
    • Archaeological Investigation and Observation, 1832–c. 1950
      • The Early Activities of the Rev C. F. Watkins (1795–1873)
        • The apse and ambulatory
        • The north-east corner of the choir
        • The north range of porticus
        • The choir arch
        • The base of the tower
      • The Church on the Eve of the Restoration
        • Spring gardens sketch book
        • Three photographs
      • The Restoration
        • General
        • The evidence of the architects’ drawings
      • The Activities of Subsequent Vicars
  • Section 5: The Survey of the Fabric of All Saints’ Church: Methods and Procedures
    • Introduction
    • The Survey: on-site procedures
    • Advantages of the Hand-drawn Survey
    • Mortar Sampling
    • Petrological Coding
  • Section 6: The Building Materials
    • Introduction
    • Building Stones
      • Identification and Coding
    • Summary of Local Geology
    • Local Building Stone: the Northampton Sand Formation (N, N1–N9)
      • Sources of Northampton Sand
    • Non-local Rock-types
      • Exotic Igneous and Associated Rocks: varieties of G, H, M, V, I
        • G. Granite and Diorite
        • H. Hornfels
        • M. Markfieldite
        • V. Volcanic and associated rocks
      • Identification of Sources
      • Thin-section Identification of Samples
      • Exotic Sandstones (S)
        • Possible sources of sandstones
      • Jurassic Limestones (L, J, Lo)
        • L. Blisworth Limestone Formation
        • J. Oyster limestone
        • Sources of L and J
        • Lo Lincolnshire Limestone Formation
      • Tufa (T)
    • Bricks
    • Mortars
    • Distribution of Materials in the Building
      • The Nave West Wall (west face)
        • The first assemblage: ‘BLINS’
        • The second assemblage: (N+N3, with N5, N5 * and N6)
        • The Nave clerestory level (N+N3+N5 *, with N4, N1 and N6)
        • Parapet level
        • Inside the tower at gable level
      • North Wall of Nave and Choir: areas rebuilt in the 19th century
        • Eastern end of the choir
        • The plinth
        • Infilled arches nave north 1 to 4
        • Stonework replacing late medieval windows
        • Clerestory arch heads
        • East end of the parapet
      • North Wall of Nave and Choir: older stonework
        • The lower (‘BLINS’) assemblage
        • Walling below the plinth
        • Choir walling overlying the lower assemblage
        • Nave masonry at arcade level
        • The nave/clerestory offset
        • Nave masonry at clerestory level
        • The western parapet
        • Window north 6 and the blocked porticus door
        • Windows north 1 and 2
      • South Wall of Nave and Choir: areas rebuilt in the 19th century
      • South Wall of Nave and Choir: older stonework
        • The lower (‘BLINS’) assemblage
        • Petrology above the BLINS assemblage
        • Petrology at arcade level
        • The offset below the clerestory
        • Nave masonry at clerestory level
        • The choir above the south-east chapel
        • The nave and choir parapet
        • The nave south door
        • Burnt stone
      • The Choir East Wall (east face)
        • Remnant of BLINS assemblage
        • Above the BLINS assemblage: (N, N3 +)
        • Masonry at window-head level
        • Upper level masonry
        • The ambulatory level
        • Tufa in the east wall
      • Apse and Ambulatory
        • The apse
        • The ambulatory
      • The Tower
        • The south wall external elevation
        • The west wall external and internal elevations
        • The north wall external elevation
      • The Turret
        • The turret interior
    • Petrological Survey of the 1981–82 Excavations
      • Foundations of the Nave, Porticus and Forebuilding
      • Excavated Walling
      • Turret Foundations
    • The Stone of the South-east Chapel
  • Section 7: Description, Analysis and Structural Sequence
    • Introduction
    • The Nave and Choir
      • The Nave Interior
        • The north arcade
          • Arch n1
          • Arch n2
          • Arch n3
          • Arch n4
        • The south arcade
          • Arch s4
          • Arch s3
          • Arch s2
          • Arch s1
        • The arch between nave and choir
        • The west wall
      • The Choir Interior
      • Exterior: the choir east wall
        • General
        • The gable
        • North of the apse
        • South of the apse
        • Features in the fabric
      • Exterior: the north elevation
        • General
        • Arcade arches north 1–4
        • Windows north 1, 2 and 6 and opening F21
        • The clerestory windows (north 3–5)
        • The parapet
        • General analysis of the fabric
      • Exterior: the South Elevation
        • General
        • Arcade arches south 1–4
        • The windows at clerestory level
        • The arcade piers
        • The choir south wall
      • Exterior: the nave west wall
    • The Apse, Ambulatory and South-east Chapel
      • General Characteristics
      • The Ambulatory
        • The inner ambulatory wall
        • The end walls, and access to the choir
      • The Apse
        • Panels and pilasters
        • Windows
        • The interior
      • The South-east Chapel
    • The West Tower and Stair-turret
      • The Tower Exterior
        • Walling
        • External openings
        • The spire
      • The Tower Interior
        • Ground floor
        • First floor (ringing chamber)
        • Second floor (clock chamber)
        • Third floor (bell chamber)
      • The Stair-turret
        • Exterior
        • Interior
      • The Tower and Turret: sequence of construction
      • The Evidence of the Putlog Holes
        • Introduction
        • The north elevation of nave and choir
        • The south elevation
        • The end elevations
        • The west tower
        • The stair-turret
        • Conclusion
  • Section 8: Summary of Archaeological Investigations Since C. 1950: Excavations, Geophysical Survey and Artefactual Evidence
    • Investigations
    • Excavations North of the Church, 1958
    • Rescue Excavation North of the Tower, 1971
    • Excavations in the Vicarage Garden 1972
      • Introduction
      • The Major Ditch
      • The Burials
      • Pottery
      • Building Materials
    • Rescue and Research Excavations Around the Church 1981–82
      • Introduction
      • Results
        • Pre-church features
        • The foundations
        • The walls
        • Floors
        • Burials
    • Geophysical Survey
      • Introduction
      • Results
        • Low-resistance anomalies
        • High-resistance anomalies
          • North of the church (1985)
          • East of the church (1985)
          • South of the west end of the church (1992–93)
      • Ground-penetrating Radar Survey
      • Summary
    • Artefactual Evidence: Pottery
    • Artefactual Evidence: Carved Stone
      • The Brixworth Sculptures
        • Cross head 1
        • Cross head 2
        • Fragment 3
        • Shaft 4
  • Section 9: A Summary of Dating Evidence
• Part Two: Analysis and Synthesis
  • Section 10: The Significance of the Building Materials
    • Introduction
    • Sources Of The Earliest Stonework – The ‘BLINS’ Assemblage
      • The Leicester Connection
      • Comparison with Brixworth
      • Sandstones
      • The Bricks
      • Limestones in the BLINS Assemblage
      • Carved Roman stones at Brixworth
        • The ‘ILIO’ stone
        • Limestone cornice piece
        • The red sandstone standing
      • Significance of the BLINS Assemblage
    • Masonry Above the ‘BLINS’: petrological considerations
    • Significance of the Petrology of the Tower and Turret
    • Significance of the Distribution of Tufa
      • The West End
      • The Apse and Ambulatory
      • Tufa within the Nave Masonry
    • The Source of the Tufa at Brixworth
    • Tufa: A Wider Appraisal
    • Interpretation of the Mortar Study
  • Section 11: The Interpretation of the Church Fabric
    • The Nature of the Evidence
    • The Primary Structure and its Development (Period I)
      • The Term ‘Primary’
      • Unity of Design
      • The First Phases of Construction
        • On the north side of the church
          • The choir and the east and west ends of the nave wall
          • The nave piers and the arcade arches
          • The nave/choir cross-wall
          • The clerestory
          • The northern range of porticus
          • The north choir porticus
        • On the south side of the church
          • General
          • Piers and cross-walls
        • The west end of the nave
        • The east end of the church
          • The choir and its windows
          • The apse and ambulatory
            • Crypt or relic chamber?
            • Alternative explanations for the ambulatory
          • The east wall of the south-east chapel
        • The church interior
          • The entry to the choir
          • The west end
        • The west forebuilding
          • The supposed west porch
          • Alternative interpretations
          • Summary
    • The Later Development of the West and East Ends (Period II and Following)
      • The West Forebuilding
        • From entrance vestibule to tower
        • The supposed gable over the central compartment: an interim phase?
        • Communication with the nave
        • The turret and its staircase
      • The Apse
      • The Reduction of the Church to an Aisleless Nave
        • General
        • The southern range of porticus
        • The northern range of porticus
    • Summary
  • Section 12: The Anglo-Saxon Church in its Insular and Continental Setting
    • The Archaeological Context
      • Prehistoric and Roman Settlement
        • The Roman villa at Brixworth
      • Anglo-Saxon Settlement
        • Sites
        • Burials
        • Discussion
      • Conclusion
    • The Architectural Context
      • Arcaded Nave with Rectangular Piers; Divided ‘Aisles’
      • The Choir Space and its Communication with the Nave
      • The West Forebuilding
      • The Apse and Ambulatory
        • The Period I apse
        • The ring crypt
        • The Period II apse
      • The West Tower
        • The structure
        • The opening to the nave
      • The Stair-turret
        • Introduction
        • Anglo-Saxon and Saxo-Norman attached stair-turrets
        • Stair-turrets on the continent
        • Stair-turrets and barrel-vaulted staircases in the late Roman period
        • The context and dating of the Brixworth stair-turret
      • Conclusion
    • The Liturgical Context of the Church
      • The Form of Brixworth as an Indicator of Function
        • The apse and ring crypt
        • The segregated east bay or choir
        • The nave
        • The lateral porticus
        • The west forebuilding
        • The west tower and turret
        • The sculptured cross
      • Documentary Evidence for Comparative Patterns of Liturgical Use in the mid Anglo-Saxon Period
        • Narrative sources
        • Conciliar legislation and charters
      • The St Gallen Plan
      • Conclusions on the Liturgical Context
    • Documentary and Textual Evidence: Brixworth in History
      • Introduction
      • The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus
      • Brixworth and Clofesho
      • Brixworth in Domesday Book
        • The place-name
        • The manor and administrative arrangements
      • Brixworth in early Salisbury documents
      • The Church: towards an historical context
        • The late 8th-century church (Period I)
        • The tower and apse (Period II)
        • The Viking age and after (Period III)
  • Section 13: Research Outcomes and Future Investigations
    • Introduction
    • The Site
    • All Saints’ Church: a provisional chronology and interpretation
      • Period I
      • Period II
      • Period III
    • Future Research Directions
• Appendix 1: Bricks
• Appendix 2: Luminescence Dating of Brick from Brixworth Church – Re-testing
• Appendix 3: Mortars
• Appendix 4: Ground-penetrating Radar
• Appendix 5: Pottery from Excavations in the Vicarage Garden (1972) and Around the Church (1981–82)
• Appendix 6:The Radiocarbon Dates
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• Colour-coded elevation drawings