Holy Island Church of St Mary

Has been described as a Questionable Fortified Ecclesiastical site

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameHoly Island Church of St Mary
Alternative Names
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishHoly Island

The church of St Mary stands to the west of the ruined church of Lindisfarne Priory. It was built in C12 or C13 though there may have been an earlier Anglo-Saxon church on the site. (Keys to the Past)

Pevsner notes church has 'an impressively fortified appearance'. Brooke writes "little tangible evidence of defensive adaptations, aside from the (former) vaulting and strong doorway."

Gatehouse Comments

The adjacent Priory was fortified and the church may be considered as part of this defensible complex.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNU125417
Latitude55.669319152832
Longitude-1.80190002918243
Eastings412560
Northings641770
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

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Books

  • Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p. 76
  • O'Sullivan, D. and Young, R., 1995, Lindisfarne, Holy Island (London) p. 103-4
  • Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p. 338-9
  • Wilson, F.R., 1870, An architectural survey of churches in the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne (Newcastle-upon-Tyne; M. and M.W. Lambert) p. 18-20 online copy

Journals

  • Blair, J., 1991, 'The Early Churches at Lindisfarne' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser5) Vol. 19 p. 47-53