Heritage Open Days - St James’ Church, Hamsterley

About

​​​​​​St James' Church sits on the end of a promontory overlooking the rivers Wear, Bedburn and Linburn. Whilst officially dated from 1180, the architecture of the Nave tells of pre-Conquest origins. This sits alongside 13th Century transepts (former Chantry chapels), the south of which has a pair of grave slabs sitting perpendicular out of the wall, a feature not seen in any other known church in Britain.

There will also be a display of recent Archaeological investigations to try and understand why the church is sat 1/2 mile outside of the village. Guides will be on hand throughout the day to answer your questions and tell you about the history of this magnificent place.