The
Church of St. Laurence Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
by Stephanie James
C H U R C H O F S T. L A U R E N C E
This page includes a basic
outline about the Anglo-Saxon Chapel at
Bradford-on-Avon. If you would like to go into
more depth, please click on the related link as
they include a much more detailed analysis of the
structure and the complications with assigning a
date to the building.
There is much debate about the date of
construction of the Chapel of St. Laurence at
Bradford-on-Avon. The estimates range from the
early eighth century to the mid eleventh century,
depending upon the dating
technique used. Based on the written
evidence, the building should be
dated to the early eighth century but stylistically,
it reflects a date in the late tenth or more
likely, the early eleventh century.
 Some have suggested that it was the
church built in AD 705 by St. Aldhelm as recorded
by William of Malmesbury; however, the stylistic
features suggest that it was built at a later
date. Others have tried to reconcile these two
theories by explaining that the church was
rebuilt on the foundations of Aldhelm's original
church in the tenth or eleventh century, thus
incorporating both the written evidence and the
stylistic evidence.
The Saxon church was discovered by chance.
After the ecclesiastical uses of the building
ceased, it was converted for secular use. The
nave had been used as a school since 1715 and the
chancel was owned by somebody different and was
used as a private cottage. Because of the Saxon
tradition of building tall churches, it was
possible to divide the building horizontally and
thus add an upper storey for living space. The
chancel was actually divided into 3 stories.
The Saxon fabric of the building was
recognized in 1856 by Canon Jones, Vicar of
Bradford. During some repairs on the building,
the Bradford Angels were discovered. This
discovery led Canon Jones to believe that the
building was an ancient church. He began research
and discovered a passage in William of
Malmesbury's Gesta Pontificum (dated circa
1125) which stated that "to this day at that
place there exists a little church which Aldhelm
is said to have built to the name of the most
blessed Laurence".
In 1871 the church was purchased and
recognized as an "ancient monument" as
Jones believed it to be the church about which
William of Malmesbury wrote. Thus, it was
rededicated to St. Laurence, reconsecrated, and
opened to the public. It remains one of the gems
of Anglo-Saxon architecture and is well worth the
visit.
Part 2:
Architectural
& Historical Discussion
Related Pages:
Saxon Churches
| 
