St Oswald's Church, Durham

St. Oswald's Church is a Church of England parish church in Durham, County Durham. The church is a grade II* listed building and it dates in part from the 12th century.[1]

St. Oswald's Church, Durham
St. Oswald's from Church Street
Map
LocationChurch Street, Durham, County Durham, DH1 3DG
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationRoman Catholic Church
ChurchmanshipTraditional
History
StatusActive
DedicationOswald of Northumbria
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade II* listed
Designated6 May 1952
Years builtLate 12th century
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Durham
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Durham
DeaneryDurham
ParishSt. Oswald Durham
Clergy
RectorThe Revd Peter Kashouris

History

edit

The present church dates from the late 12th century,[1] and is likely built on the site of an earlier church.[2] It was rebuilt in 1834 by Ignatius Bonomi.[1] In 1864, Hodgson Fowler rebuilt the tower and the chancel, and added an organ chamber.[1][2]

The church has stained glass windows. The west window dates from 1864 to 1866 and was designed by Morris & Co with some panels by Ford Madox Brown.[1] Other windows were designed by Kempe and Co., and by Clayton and Bell.[1]

On 6 May 1952, the church was designated a grade II* listed building.[1]

In 1984, the organ and part of the chancel were destroyed by fire. A new organ was built by Peter Collins to the specifications of the organist David Higgins, and installed in a new gallery at the west end of the church. The organ was restored in 2019.[3]

Present day

edit

St. Oswald's Church is part of the benefice of the Three Saints in the Archdeaconry of Durham of the Diocese of Durham, along with Shincliffe St Mary, Coxhoe St. Mary, and Kelloe St. Helen.[4] The church was until recently used by the Eastern Orthodox Church of St Cuthbert and St Bede, which has now relocated to the former mortuary chapel in Providence Row.[5]

Notable people

edit
  • David Higgins, organist and choirmaster from 1974 to 2006
  • Will Todd, pianist and composer, who was a choirboy during David Higgins' tenure as choirmaster

Notable clergy

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "Church of St. Oswald (1120678)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "About". St Oswald's Church, Durham. Retrieved 11 April 2017.[dead link]
  3. ^ Jane (5 July 2018). "Restoring St Oswald's organ". Music in Durham. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  4. ^ "St Oswald, Durham". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Durham Orthodox Church". Retrieved 9 May 2024.
edit

54°46′17″N 1°34′22″W / 54.77139°N 1.57278°W / 54.77139; -1.57278