List of oldest buildings in the United Kingdom
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This article lists the oldest extant freestanding buildings in the United Kingdom. In order to qualify for the list a structure must:
- be a recognisable building
- either incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building.
- incorporate features of building work of the above nature that date from no later than AD 1300.
Roads are excluded although other structures such as bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfil the above criteria.
Before 500 BC
[edit]Building | Location | Date built | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Knap of Howar | ![]() |
Papa Westray, Orkney, Scotland | 3700 BC[1] | A Neolithic farmstead, probably the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe.[2][3] |
West Kennet Long Barrow | ![]() |
Wiltshire, England | 3650 BC | Passage grave located near Silbury Hill and Avebury stone circle.[4] |
Midhowe Chambered Cairn | ![]() |
Rousay, Orkney, Scotland | 3500 BC | A well-preserved example of the Orkney-Cromarty type of chambered cairn.[5] |
Trethevy Quoit | ![]() |
Tremar, Cornwall | 3700 - 3500 BC | A well preserved Neolithic dolmen in Cornwall. It is regarded as one of the most impressive in Britain. This chamber tomb is dated from the Neolithic or late Stone Age, and may have been built around 3500 BC. It is sited on a promontory overlooking the confluence of streams which flow southwards to become the River Seaton; the northern skyline is dominated by Caradon Hill and granite massif of Bodmin Moor.[1] |
Pentre Ifan | Nanhyfer, Pembrokeshire, Wales | 3500 BC | The largest and best preserved Neolithic dolmen in Wales. | |
Tomb of the Eagles | ![]() |
South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland | 3150 BC | This chambered tomb was in use for 800 years or more. 16,000 human bones were found here, as well as 725 bird bones, predominantly white-tailed sea eagle.[6] |
Skara Brae | ![]() |
Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland | 3100 BC | A large stone-built Neolithic village Mainland, Orkney, Scotland 3180 BC–2500 BC. Europe's most complete Neolithic village with a high level of preservation and sophistication.[7] A Neolithic village in Scotland with a high degree of sophistication including furnishings and drainage |
Unstan Chambered Cairn | ![]() |
Stenness, Mainland Orkney, Scotland | 3400–2800 BC | An Orkney-Cromarty chambered cairn. |
Belas Knap | ![]() |
Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England, UK | 3000 BC | A Neolithic long barrow with what appears to be the main entrance, with intricate dry-stone walling and large limestone jambs and lintels is, in fact, a false one. The actual burial chambers are down the long east and west sides of the barrow and at its southern foot. There are four burial chambers, two on opposite sides near the middle, one at the south-east angle and one at the south end. These are formed of upright stone slabs, linked by dry-stone walling and originally had corbelled roofs.[8] |
Maeshowe | ![]() |
Stenness, Mainland Orkney, Scotland | 2700 BC | A large and unique chambered cairn and passage grave, aligned so that its central chamber is illuminated on the winter solstice.[9] |
Barnhouse Settlement | ![]() |
Stenness, Mainland Orkney, Scotland | 2600 BC | A Neolithic settlement.[10] |
500 BC to AD 500
[edit]Building | Location | Date built | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jarlshof | ![]() |
Sumburgh, Shetland, Scotland | 200 BC | A complex of preserved wheelhouses, amongst the remains of a variety of much older and more recent buildings.[11][12] |
Broch of Mousa | ![]() |
Mousa, Shetland, Scotland | 1st century BC | Located on a small island in Shetland, this is the best preserved of numerous brochs from this period.[13] |
Bartlow Hills | ![]() |
Bartlow Hills in Ashdon Parish Essex near Bartlow, Cambridgeshire. | 1st–2nd Century | A Roman tumuli cemetery. There were originally seven Bartlow mounds. The tallest at 15 metres in height is the largest barrow north of the Alps.[14] |
Viroconium | ![]() |
Wroxeter, Shropshire | 1st–2nd Century | Remains of Roman masonry including a substantial freestanding element from the bathhouse. |
Temple of Claudius, Colchester | ![]() |
Colchester, Essex, England | c. 60 | The substantial podium and vaults are of the Roman temple (of Camulodunum, capital of Roman Britain). The Norman castle above dates from c. 1076.[15] |
Vinovia | ![]() |
Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England | mid 70s AD | Remains of a Roman Fort and settlement. |
Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre | ![]() |
Caerleon, Newport, Wales | c. 80 | A well preserved Roman amphitheatre, oval in shape with eight entrances, used during the Roman settlement period at Isca Augusta for events with a capacity of around six thousand. Accompanied by other features from the period including the Caerleon Roman baths and other recovered items preserved at the Welsh National Roman Legion Museum in the town. |
Balkerne Gate | ![]() |
Colchester, Essex, England | c. 80 | The remainder of the gateway through the Roman wall of Colchester is the largest surviving gateway in Roman Britain.[16] |
Roman lighthouse at Dover Castle | ![]() |
Dover, Kent | 1st century | One of the three remaining Roman lighthouses in the world, from the ancient port of Dubris. |
Hardknott Roman Fort | ![]() |
Cumbria | c. 120–138 | A Roman fort on the west side of Hardknott pass. |
'Walls Castle' | ![]() |
Ravenglass, Cumbria | c. 120 | Remains of Roman bathhouse: one of the largest remaining Roman structures in Britain |
Hadrian's Wall | ![]() |
Northern England | c. 122 | A Roman defensive fortification. |
Housesteads Roman Fort | ![]() |
Hexham, Northumberland, England | c. 124 | The remains of an auxiliary fort along Hadrian’s Wall. |
Jewry Wall | ![]() |
Leicester, Leicestershire, England | c. 125 | The Jewry Wall is a substantial ruined wall of 2nd-century Roman masonry, with two large archways, in Leicester, England. It formed the west wall of a public building in Ratae Corieltauvorum (Roman Leicester), alongside public baths, the foundations of which were excavated in the 1930s and are also open to view. |
Edin's Hall Broch | ![]() |
Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland | c. 140 | Substantial broch, sited on a much earlier hill fort. One of a very few built south of the Highlands and Islands.[17] |
London Wall | London, England | c. 200 | Significant remains of Roman wall at various locations in Londinium (modern-day London) | |
Painted House | ![]() |
Dover, Kent, England | c. 200 | Also one of the best preserved Roman houses in Britain |
Portchester Castle | ![]() |
Portchester, Hampshire | 285–290 | Complete remains of large Roman walled fort. The best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps |
Pevensey Castle | ![]() |
Pevensey, East Sussex | 280s | The outer curtain wall is the remains of the Roman fort called Anderitum. |
Cardiff Castle | ![]() |
Cardiff, Wales | c. 290 | The outer curtain wall incorporates sections of the Cardiff Roman Fort. |
Newport Arch | ![]() |
Lincoln | 3rd century | Intact arch of the former Roman gate. Part of the Roman fortifications around Lindum Colonia (modern-day Lincoln). |
Multangular Tower and wall | ![]() |
York | 4th century | Surviving parts of the Roman fortifications around Eboracum (modern-day York). |
Calleva Atrebatum surviving walls | ![]() |
Silchester, Hampshire, England | 4th century | Surviving walls and amphitheater of the Roman city of Calleva Atrebatum (modern-day Silchester). |
AD 500 to AD 1000
[edit]Building | Location | Earliest extant structure date | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beehive cells | ![]() |
Eileach an Naoimh, Argyll, Scotland | 6th century | The monastic centre on this island was founded by St. Brendan the Navigator in 542. The oldest remains include a double beehive cell and a grave and cross-slab associated with Eithne the mother of Columba. These are the oldest extant church buildings in Scotland and possibly Britain.[18][19][20] |
St Martin's Church, Canterbury | ![]() |
Canterbury, Kent | 597 | The oldest church building in England, still functioning as an Anglican parish church. St Martin's was the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent in the 6th century before Augustine arrived from Rome. |
Nendrum Monastery mill | Mahee Island in Strangford Lough, Down, Northern Ireland | 619 | The tide mill is part of the Nendrum Monastery site. The wood from the mill has been dated to 619, making it one of the oldest excavated tide mills in the world. | |
Church of St Peter-on-the-Wall | ![]() |
Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, England | 654 | The chapel is assumed to be that of "Ythanceaster" (Bede, book III, chapter XXII), originally constructed as an Anglo-Celtic Church for the East Saxons in AD 654 by St Cedd, astride the ruins of the abandoned Roman fort of Othona incorporating the Roman bricks and stones. |
Escomb Church | ![]() |
Escomb, County Durham, England | 670 | |
Ripon Cathedral | ![]() |
Ripon, North Yorkshire, England | 672 | Only the crypt survives at all – the earliest part of the cathedral itself is 1069 |
Hexham Abbey | ![]() |
Hexham, Northumberland, England | 674 | St. Wilfred's 7th-century crypt survives, built largely out of stones from the Roman city of Coria (modern-day Corbridge). The main part of the abbey church dates to the 12th and 13th centuries. |
St Peter's Church | ![]() |
Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, England | 674 | Founded as part of the Benedictine double monastery of Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey. |
St Mary Magdalene Church, Hart | ![]() |
Hart, County Durham, England | 675 | |
St Paul's Church | ![]() |
Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England | 680 | The Saxon chancel survives. |
Anglian Tower | ![]() |
York | 7th century | Surviving part of the Northumbrian fortifications around York |
St Laurence's Church | ![]() |
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England | 7th century | One of the oldest unaltered Anglo-Saxon churches in England. May have been founded by St. Aldhelm. |
St Mary's Priory | ![]() |
Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, England | 7th century | Anglo-Saxon church. Part of the Diocese of Gloucester. |
St Mary the Virgin Church | Prittlewell, Essex, England | Pre-conquest (pre-1066) north wall, incorporating probably 7th century arch[21] | ||
All Saints Church | ![]() |
Brixworth, Northamptonshire, England | 650–870 | |
Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin | ![]() |
Sherborne, Dorset | 705 | Saxon cathedral 705 - 1075. Benedictine abbey 998 - 1539 |
Saint Helen's Chapel | ![]() |
Colchester, Essex, England | 8th century | In the middle of the 8th century, Offa visited Colchester and built a chapel dedicated to St. Helen. This small chapel is now an Antiochian Orthodox church. |
St Peter's Church | ![]() |
Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England | 8th century | |
Greensted Church | Greensted, Essex, England | 845 | The oldest wooden church in the world | |
St Mary's Church, Barby | ![]() |
Barby, Northamptonshire, England | 891 | Foundation attributed to 891. [22] |
St Nicholas' Church, Leicester | Leicester, Leicestershire, England | c. 900 | ||
St Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber | ![]() |
Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire | 9th (baptistery) and 10th centuries | One of the best-known Anglo-Saxon buildings, owing to its role in Thomas Rickman's identification of the style. |
St Nicholas' Church | ![]() |
Worth, Crawley, England | c. 950 / 1050 | |
St Mary's Church | Sompting, West Sussex, England | c. 960 | ||
All Saints' Church, Earls Barton | ![]() |
Earls Barton, Northamptonshire | c. 970 | Even though only the tower survives from the original church, this is one of the best examples of later Anglo-Saxon architecture. |
Stow Minster | ![]() |
Stow, Lincolnshire | 975 | Cathedral church of the ancient Diocese of Lindsey. On site of earlier 7th-century building. |
Nendrum Monastery | ![]() |
Mahee Island in Strangford Lough, Down, Northern Ireland | 9th or 10th century | Pre-Norman monastic site, the church dates to the 9th or 10th century. When the site was rediscovered, a sun dial dating to around AD 900 was found. |
St Mary's Church | ![]() |
Northchurch Hertfordshire. | Late Anglo-Saxon. | The south and part of the west wall are Saxon. The church was probably the pre-conquest (pre-1066) parish church of Berkhamsted.[23][24][25] |
11th century
[edit]Building | Location | Earliest extant structure date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
St Bene't's Church | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | c. 1000 | The tower is believed to have been built around c.1000, although the bell louvers were added in 1586. The tower contains 6 bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1588 |
Holy Trinity Church | Colchester, Essex, England | 1020 | Oldest building in Colchester, which has an Anglo-Saxon tower with an arrow head doorway. Burial place of William Gilbert and madrigal composer John Wilbye. Grade I listed building. |
Corhampton Church | Corhampton, Hampshire, England | c. 1020 | This is one of the few remaining Saxon churches in regular use and in good repair, surviving substantially unaltered. It dates to the first quarter of the eleventh century and probably before 1020. |
St Andrews Church | Ashingdon, Essex, England | 1020 | The parish church which lies on Ashingdon Hill, one of the parish's three hills, was built in 1020, 4 years after the Battle of Assandun, by the order of the king, Canute the Great of Denmark. The grade II listed parish church of Saint Andrew's is also called "Ashingdon Minster". |
St Martin's Church, Wareham | Wareham, Dorset, England | 1030 | Anglo-Saxon features include a tall, narrow nave and chancel, late Anglo-Saxon wall-arcading in the north west aisle and traces of a Saxon door. |
St Michael at the North Gate | Oxford, England | 1040 | The tower dates from 1040. Probably Oxford's oldest building. |
St George's Tower, Oxford Castle | Oxford, England | Uncertain, perhaps mid-11th century | Although Oxford Castle is Norman, it incorporates St George's tower which may be part of the town's late Saxon defences. |
Holy Trinity Church | Great Paxton, Cambridgeshire, England | 1050 | One of only three Anglo-Saxon aisled churches to be found today in England |
St Chad's Church | Stafford, Staffordshire, England | 1050 | |
Berkhamsted Castle | Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England | 1067 (A fossarius – a specialised ditch digger – was recorded as being in the town in the Domesday book 1086. Radiocarbon dating of organic remains from within the castle's motte indicates a post 1066 construction date.[26][27]) | After William the Conqueror defeated and killed Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, the Anglo-Saxons submitted to him at Berkhamsted in early December 1066.[28][29] William granted the "Honour of Berkhamsted" to his half-brother, Robert, Count of Mortain, who built a wooden fortification. The castle was substantially rebuilt in the mid-12th century, probably by Thomas Becket. In the 13th-century Richard Earl of Cornwall added a palace complex and Edward III further developed the castle in the 14th century. The castle was abandoned in 1496 and today only earthworks and ruins remain.
In 1833 the castle became the first historic site in England to be protected by statute, though the new railway line in 1834 did demolish the castle's gatehouse and outer earthworks to the south.[30] |
Chepstow Castle | Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales | 1067 | Part of fortifications built in the Welsh Marshes by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford. Used in the Norman invasion of Wales. |
Norwich Castle | Norwich, East Anglia, England | 1067 | Constructed on the orders of William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England to cement control over East Anglia. |
Lincoln Castle | Lincoln | 1068 (completed) | Ordered built by William the Conqueror. One of the best preserved Norman castles in England. Continues to be used as a law court. |
Canterbury Cathedral | Canterbury, Kent, England | 1070 | Founded in 597. Rebuilt in the 11th century under Archbishop Lanfranc, St. Anselm of Canterbury, and Prior Ernulf based on the Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen. |
St. Michael's Church, Southampton | Southampton, Hampshire, England | 1070 | The west wall has one of the original Norman pilaster buttresses. |
Richmond Castle | Richmond, North Yorkshire, England | Constructed from 1071 | Norman castle constructed by Alan Rufus. |
Lincoln Cathedral | Lincoln | 1072 | Constructed in 1072 by Bishop Remigius de Fécamp. Largely destroyed by the 1185 East Midlands earthquake, after which it was rebuilt. Parts of the west end remain of the original. |
Durham Castle | Durham, England | 1072 started | Norman castle constructed by Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria. |
Tower of London | London, England | 1078 | Constructed by William the Conqueror. |
Hereford Cathedral | Hereford, England | 1079 | Construction started by Bishop Robert of Lorraine. |
Rochester Cathedral | Rochester, Kent, England | 1080 | Gundulf of Rochester's tower and the core of the nave piers.[31] |
Ely Cathedral | Ely, Cambridgeshire, England | 1083 started | |
Shrewsbury Abbey | Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England | 1083 | Founded by Roger de Montgomery. Important pilgrimage site in medieval England. |
Hedingham Castle | Castle Hedingham, Essex | c. 1086 | The manor of Hedingham was awarded to Aubrey de Vere I by William the Conqueror by 1086. The castle was constructed by the de Veres in the late 11th to early 12th century and the keep in the 1130s and 1140s. |
St Albans Cathedral | St Albans, Hertfordshire, England | 1089 | |
St Nicholas Church | Iford, East Sussex, England | c. 1090[32] | |
Durham Cathedral | Durham, England | 1093 started | Building commenced in 1093 and was largely completed within 40 years. Durham Cathedral is the only cathedral in England to retain almost all of its Norman craftsmanship, and one of few to preserve the unity and integrity of its original design. The nave, quire and transepts are all Norman. |
St Mary's Church, Harrow on the Hill | Harrow on the Hill, England | 1087 started | Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, began the construction of a church on this site in 1087. The new church building, now completed and dedicated in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was consecrated by St Anselm on 4 January 1094. |
Winchester Cathedral | Winchester, Hampshire, England | 1079 started 1093 consecrated | Constructed by Bishop Walkelin. |
Norwich Cathedral | Norwich, Norfolk, England | 1096 | Constructed by Bishop Herbert de Losinga. |
Westminster Hall | City of Westminster, England | 1097[33][34] | Oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster. The roof was possibly originally supported by pillars, giving three aisles, but during the reign of King Richard II, this was replaced by a hammerbeam roof in 1393. However, recent archaeological explorations found no evidence of these pillars, and the roof may have been self-supporting from the beginning. |
Buckfast Abbey | Buckfastleigh, England | 1134 or 1136, The first abbey at Buckfast was founded as a Benedictine monastery in 1018. The abbey was believed to be founded by either Aethelweard (Aylward), Earldorman of Devon, or King Cnut. This first monastery was "small and unprosperous", and the exact site is uncertain. Archaeological evidence suggests the monastery may have been located nearby at what is now Holy Trinity church in Buckfastleigh.
In 1134 or 1136, the abbey was established in its current position. |
Constructed by Æthelwald, Ealdorman of East Anglia or King Canute . |
Lancaster Castle | Lancaster, Lancashire, England | Speculated 11th century although exact date is unknown. | Constructed by Roger de Poictou, the holder of the Honour of Lancaster. |
Borley Church | Borley, Essex | 11th century | A small 11th century church. Later renovations have resulted in the mainly perpendicular style of the mid-14th to 16th centuries.[35] |
Conisbrough Castle | Conisbrough, South Yorkshire | 11th Century | Originally built by William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey. |
St Botolph's Church | Botolphs, West Sussex | 11th Century | A small parish church among the South Downs. |
12th century
[edit]Building | Location | Earliest extant structure date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
St Marys Church, Little Abington | Little Abington, Cambridgeshire | c. 1100 (nave only) | The nave has a very fine example of a rounded arched doorway. |
St Laurence and All Saints Church, Eastwood | Eastwood, Essex, England | c. 1100 nave[21] | |
Church of St Martin of Tours | Detling, Kent, England | c. 1100[36] | |
St Andrew's Church | South Shoebury, Essex, England | c. 1100–1140 nave and chancel[21] | |
Wymondham Abbey | Wymondham, Norfolk, England | 1107[37] | |
Church of St Andrew, Stogursey | Stogursey, Somerset, England | 1107[38] | |
Merton Priory | Colliers Wood, London, England | 1117[39] | The priory was a centre of learning, including entrants; Nicholas Breakspeare in 1125 (who became Pope Adrian IV, the first English Pope, in 1154), Thomas Becket in 1130 and Walter de Merton, Lord Chancellor, Bishop of Rochester, and founder of Merton College, Oxford. |
St Margaret's Chapel | Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland | 1124 | |
St Andrew's Church | Haughton-le-Skerne, Darlington, County Durham | 1125 [citation needed] | |
Furness Abbey | Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England | 1127 | Abbey founded in 1123, construction of the church began in 1127 and some of this early fabric survives.[40] |
St Mary's Church, West Chiltington | West Chiltington, West Sussex, England | 1100–1150 | A Saxon building is recorded in the Domesday book, almost certainly on the same site. It is not known whether or not any of the older building was incorporated into the Norman structure. |
Carlisle Castle | Carlisle, Cumbria, England | c. 1122–1135[41] | |
Cambridge Leper Chapel | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | c. 1125 | Built in 1125, The Leper Chapel was part of the buildings of a leprosy hospital that once stood on a road going to Bury St Edmunds and is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge. |
Rochester Castle | Rochester, Kent, England | 1127 | |
St Rule's Tower | St Andrews, Fife, Scotland | 1127 | |
Holyrood Abbey | Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland | 1128 |
Originally an abbey of the canons regular founded by King David I. Expanded into the royal palace during the Scottish Reformation. |
Dunfermline Abbey | Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland | 1128 | |
Church of Our Lady | Warnford, Hampshire, England | c. 1130 | Norman west tower of c. 1130, Early English single-cell nave and chancel of c. 1190 |
All Hallows Church | Goodmanham, Yorkshire, England | c. 1130 | |
Church of the Holy Sepulchre | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England | c. 1130 | Also known as The Round Church. The congregation moved to nearby St. Andrew the Great church in 1994. |
Romsey Abbey | Romsey, Hampshire | c. 1130[42] | Elements of the 10th-century Saxon church remain. |
Dover Priory | Dover, Kent, England | 1131 | One of the oldest monastic refectories, still in use today by Dover College |
Exeter Cathedral | Exeter, England | 1133 | Commenced building 1112, consecrated in 1133, and completed in 1170. Completely rebuilt between 1272 and 1342 except for the two transept towers. |
Kirkstead Abbey | Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England | 1139 (founded) | Destroyed during the English Reformation; only a single part remains |
Egremont Castle | Egremont, Cumbria, England | c. 1140 | The present castle was built by William de Meschines about 1130–1140, but there was an earlier Norman mound near this site. Further additions were made in the 13th century. In the 16th century there was an attempt to put Mary Queen of Scots on the Throne, and several northern nobles took part. Eight years later the castle was reported to be ruined and decayed. |
Ancient Ram Inn | Wotton Under Edge, Gloucester | c. 1145 | Once a part of a medieval manor, The Ancient Ram Inn is said to be one of the oldest houses in existence today. Built around 1145, it is considered the most haunted house in England. |
Cubbie Roo's Castle | Wyre, Orkney, Scotland | c. 1145 | The ruins include a small square keep still extant to 2.4 metres (8 ft) in height.[43] |
All Saints' Church | Walsoken, Cambridgeshire | C. 1146 | A grade 1 Listed Building consisting of a nave with south and north aisles, chancel with south and north chapels, south porch and west tower surmounted by a spire. |
Saint Michael's and All Angels Church | Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, England | c. 1150 | Very well preserved Norman Church, complete with font, and with minimal and very complimentary additions.
https://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/stewkley.html |
All Saints Church, East Meon | East Meon, Hampshire, England | c. 1150 | One of the finest Norman churches in Hampshire. This cruciform church has a square, central Norman tower with decoration similar to that of Winchester Cathedral. |
Temple Bruer Preceptory | Temple Bruer, Lincolnshire | c. 1150 | |
Birkenhead Priory | Birkenhead, Wirral, England | 1150 | |
Holy Trinity Church | Southchurch, Essex, England | c. 1150 nave of original church, now part of the south aisle[21] | |
Jew's House | Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England | c. 1150 |
Townhouse on Steep Hill. |
Adel St John the Baptist Church | Adel, Leeds, Yorkshire, England | 1150 | |
Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire, England | 1154 | |
Bradwell Abbey | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England | 1155 | The Grade I Listed Chapel still remains, the inside of the chapel is often open to the public |
Saltford Manor House | Saltford, Somerset, England | c. 1160 | Winner of a Country Life contest in 2003 to find the "oldest continuously inhabited [private] house in Britain". |
Warwick Castle | Warwick, Warwickshire, England | c. 1160 | A "Burh" was built on the site in 914,[44] replaced by a motte and bailey, in turn replaced by a stone keep by King Henry II (1154–89). |
Newcastle Castle | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England | 1172 | The Castle Keep, which constitutes the oldest of the surviving structures, was built between 1172 and 1177 on the site of an older wooden castle. |
Carrickfergus Castle | Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland | 1177 | Built by John de Courcy |
Inch Abbey | Downpatrick, Down, Northern Ireland | 1177 | Built by John de Courcy |
Prittlewell Priory | Prittlewell, Essex, England | c. 1180 north wall of the refectory[21] |
Founded by Cluniac monks of St. Pancras Priory. |
Killyleagh Castle | Killyleagh, Down, Northern Ireland | c. 1180 |
Built as part of fortifications around Strangford Lough. |
Church of St Nicholas, Eythorne | Kent, England | c. 1180[45] | A small Romanesque church, with fine 12th-century carvings reminiscent of work done at Canterbury Cathedral in the 1170s. |
Malmesbury Abbey | Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England | c. 1180 | About a third of the original building remains, and is still in use |
Quintin Castle | County Antrim, Northern Ireland | 1184 | Built by John de Courcy |
Oakham Castle | Oakham, Rutland, England | 1180–1190 | The great hall remains and is Grade I listed. Entrance is free |
Pembroke Castle | Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales | c. 1189 | Concentric stone castle built by William Marshall from 1189.[46] |
Newark Priory | Pyrford, Surrey, England | c. 1189–1199 | Established in the late 12th century by Rauld de Calva and his wife Beatrice de Sandes for Augustinian canons. Still exists as ruins today and is listed as a Grade I Ancient Monument. |
Holy Cross Church | Sarratt, Hertfordshire, England | c. 1190[47] | The Victoria County History suggests that 'the main fabric of the chancel dates to the last decade of the 12th Century, with no architectural indication of an earlier date'. Contained within the church is believed to be the original 12th-century font and a 13th-century sarcophagus lid. Also notable is a rare survivor of High Medieval wall painting dated to c. 1370 AD. |
Cleeve Abbey | Washford, Somerset, England | 1198[48] | |
St Laurence's Church | Ludlow, Shropshire, England | 1199[49] | |
St Michael and All Angels Church | Creaton, Northamptonshire, England | Early 12th century | Norman parish church which is still attended today. Construction possibly started late 11th century.[50] |
Holywood Priory | Holywood, Down, Northern Ireland | c. 12th century | |
St Oran's Chapel | Iona, Argyll, Scotland | 12th century | Incorporates a 12th-century door.[51] Could have been built by Óláfr Guðrøðarson, Guðrøðr Óláfsson, Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, or Ragnall mac Somairle. |
Sketrick Castle | Whiterock, Down, Northern Ireland | Late 12th century | |
St Laurence's Church | Northfield, Birmingham, England | 12th century | The church contains Early English gothic architecture.[52] |
St Mary's Church | Little Washbourne, Gloucestershire | 12th century | Aspects of church date back to 12th century with first documentary evidence of church dated to 1240.[53] |
Dalmeny Kirk (St Cuthbert's) | Dalmeny, City of Edinburgh, Scotland | 12th century | Norman/Romanesque parish church, still in use. |
St Oswald's Church | York | c. 1125 | Nave 1st half of the 12th C. Chancel in the 2nd half. Converted into a private house in the 1980s, it retains its simple layout, with two original windows in the nave north wall and a 14th-century east window. The 1795 brick tower was built on the foundations of a 14th-century stone tower which was taken down in the 17th century. Footings of an earlier church and a fragment of a 10th C cross have been found. Location remote from Fulford suggests link to adjacent wells and former crossing of the River Ouse.[54] |
13th century
[edit]Building | Location | Earliest extant structure date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Easaigh Church | Ensay, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | 12th century[citation needed] | |
Aberdour Castle | Aberdour, Fife, Scotland | c. 1200 | Base of a late 12th- or early 13th-century hall house incorporated into later buildings[55] |
Dundrum Castle | Dundrum, Down, Northern Ireland | 1205 or earlier | Originally constructed by John de Courcy. |
Icomb Place | Icomb, Gloucestershire, England | At least 1200–40 | The first documented activity in the house was a "restoration" in 1200. The episcopal manor of Blockley owned the estate in 1086 |
Coleraine Castle | Coleraine, Londonderry, Northern Ireland | Built 1214 | Built by Thomas fitz Roland in 1214. Destroyed by Hugh de Lacy and Aodh Méith Ó Néill. Reconstructed by Thomas fitz Roland in 1228. |
Salisbury Cathedral | Salisbury, Wiltshire, England | 1220–1258 | |
Barley Barn | Between Witham and Braintree, Essex, England | c. 1220[56] | Oldest standing timber-framed barn in the world,[57][58] one of the earliest and largest of the possessions of the Knights Templar in England,[59][57] modified in later centuries.[58] |
St Mary the Virgin Church | North Shoebury, Essex, England | c. 1230 (chancel and possibly nave)[21] | |
St. Leonard's Without | Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England | 1230–40 | |
St Andrew the Apostle (Wells Cathedral) | Wells, Somerset, England | 1175–1239 | Opened in 1239, this replaced an earlier church on the site since 705. Construction continued until 1490. Stands next to the oldest purely residential street in Europe. |
Ancient Chapel of St.Andrew | Maghull, Merseyside, England. | 13th Century. | Grade II* listed chapel sits alongside the Victorian church of St.Andrew. |
St Nicolas' Church | Kings Norton, Birmingham, England | Early 13th century[60] | |
Westminster Abbey[61] | Westminster, London, England | Rebuilt 1245–1517 | Royal Peculiar Grade I listed in 1958 |
St Peters Church | Maidstone, Kent, England | 1261 (at least) | The original charter for the chapel is lost, but a confirmation charter exists from this year.[62] |
St Edmund's Chapel | Dover, Kent, England | 1262 | |
York Castle | York, Yorkshire, England | 1265 | |
Caerphilly Castle | Caerphilly, South Wales | 1268–1271 | A concentric stone castle surrounded by lakes, the second largest fortress in Britain.[63] |
Tintern Abbey | Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales | 1269–1301[64] | The existing ruins of the great church date from this period. |
All Hallows Church | Wellingborough, Northants. | c. 1280 | Construction of the existing tower began c. 1280 and took 20 years to complete.[65] |
173, High Street, Berkhamsted | Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England | c. 1277–97 | The oldest known extant jettied timber-framed building in Great Britain, dated by dendrochronology of structural timbers to between 1277 and 1297, currently in use as an estate agent and flat.[66][67][68][69] |
Dunluce Castle | County Antrim, Northern Ireland | c. 1271–1300 | |
White Island Monastic site | Lough Erne, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland | 13th century? | Carvings used in the ruined church building are thought to be dated to around 800 AD. The monastery itself was probably destroyed by Viking raiders in 837. Around 400 years later, a Romanesque style church was built on the site. |
Holy Trinity Church (Hull Minster) | Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire | 1285 | Built on instruction of Edward I, fine example of medieval brick and stone Church, still in use today as a Church. |
St Edburgha's Church, Yardley | Yardley, Birmingham, England | 13th century | |
St Mary's Church, Clifton | Clifton,
Nottingham, England |
C.1290 | Grade 1 listed Church of England, built next Clifton Manor on the Clifton Estate historically for use by the Clifton Family. The Church contains a cast iron casing of the Crusaders Heart. |
See also
[edit]- List of oldest known surviving buildings in the world
- Hillforts in Britain:
- Newgrange, one of Ireland's oldest buildings dating from c. 3100 BC
- La Hougue Bie, one of Jersey's oldest buildings dating from c. 3500 BC
- Timeline of prehistoric Scotland
References
[edit]- ^ Wickham-Jones, Caroline (2007) Orkney: A Historical Guide. Edinburgh. Birlinn. p. 40.
- ^ "Knap of Howar" Historic Scotland. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
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- ^ "West Kennet Long Barrow, Avebury" English Heritage. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
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- ^ Hawkes 1986, p. 262
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- ^ Colchester Castle, Essex Archived 11 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, InfoBritain.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
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- ^ ffhyork.weebly.com
- ^ Tabraham, Chris. (1997) Scotland's Castles, BT Batsford/Historic Scotland. ISBN 0-7134-7965-5 p.33
- ^ Bettley, James, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Essex: The Buildings of England. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007. 313. ISBN 0300116144
- ^ a b Haag, Michael (2014) The Tragedy of the Templars. Published by Profile Books Limited (ISBN 978-1-84668-451-7)
- ^ a b Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1123865)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
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Sources
[edit]- Thompson, Isobel; Bryant, Stewart (2005). Extensive Urban Surveys: Berkhamsted, Revision 2005 (PDF) (Report). Historic Environment Unit, Hertfordshire County Council.
- Williamson, Tom (2010). The Origins of Hertfordshire. Hatfield, UK: Hertfordshire Publications. ISBN 978-190531395-2.