Misplaced Pages

St Mary's Church, Norton
St Mary the Virgin
54°35′33″N 1°18′59″W / 54.59248°N 1.31627°W / 54.59248; -1.31627
Location	The Green, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees TS20 1EJ
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.stmarysnorton.co.uk
History
Status	Active
Founded	1020 (1020)
Dedication	St Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade I
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Durham
Archdeaconry	Archdeaconry of Auckland
Deanery	Stockton
Clergy
Vicar(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.

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.

References

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

• Grade I listed churches in County Durham
• Church of England church buildings in County Durham
• Buildings and structures in Stockton-on-Tees
• Buildings and structures completed in 1020
• Churches completed in the 1020s