St Oswald's Church is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. The church is a

grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

and it dates from the 12th century.

History

The present church dates from the late 12th century. It is likely built on the site of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in 1834 by

Ignatius Bonomi Ignatius Bonomi (1787–1870) was an English architect and surveyor, with Italian origins by his father, strongly associated with Durham in north-east England. Life He was the son of an architect and draughtsman, Joseph Bonomi (1739– ...

. In 1864, Hodgson Fowler rebuilt the tower and the chancel, and added an organ chamber. The church has

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows. The west window dates from 1864 to 1866 and was designed by

Morris & Co Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861–1875) was a furnishings and decorative arts manufacturer and retailer founded by the artist and designer William Morris with friends from the Pre-Raphaelites. With its successor Morris & Co. (1875–194 ...

with some panels by

Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...

. Other windows were designed by Kempe and Co., and by

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832� ...

. On 6 May 1952, the church was designated a

. 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.

Present day

St Oswald's Church is part of the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Durham St Oswald & Shincliffe St Mary in the Archdeaconry of Durham of the

Diocese of Durham The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic county of Durham (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluding southern Teesdale). It was created in AD ...

Notable people

* David Higgins, organist and choirmaster from 1974 to 2006

Notable clergy

Anthony Belasyse Anthony Belasyse, also Bellasis, Bellows and Bellowsesse (died 1552) was an English churchman and jurist, archdeacon of Colchester from 1543. Life He was a younger son of Thomas Belasyse of Henknowle, co. Durham. He proceeded bachelor of the ...

, later Archdeacon of Colchester, served as vicar in the middle of the 16th century *

John Bacchus Dykes John Bacchus Dykes (10 March 1823 – 22 January 1876) was an English clergyman and hymnwriter. Biography John Bacchus Dykes was born in Hull, England, the fifth child and third son of William Hey Dykes, a ship builder, later banker, an ...

, served as vicar from 1862 to his death in 1876 *

Mowbray O'Rorke Mowbray Stephen O'Rorke (21 May 1869 – 15 March 1953) was an Anglican bishop in Africa in the first quarter of the 20th century. Ordained ministry O'Rorke was ordained Deacon in 1902 and Priest in 1903. He served curacies at St Paul's, Jarrow, ...

, later Bishop of Accra, served a curacy here in durham.

References

External links

A Church Near You entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Saint Oswald Church of England church buildings in County Durham 12th-century church buildings in England Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham Saint Oswald