St Andrew’s Church is the most prominent building in Market Place. It was first mentioned in AD 786 when Adulf was consecrated Bishop of Mayo (Ireland) in what was referred to as ‘the monastery at Corbridge’.
However it may have been founded a century earlier when the priory church of Hexham was built. While part of the tower dates from Saxon times and an internal arch is Roman, most of the present church is 13th century.
The upper tower, with its louvre windows, is mainly 11th century using stones from Corstopitum. It was topped off with an iron weather vane in 1767.
There is a 12th century Norman doorway with a zig-zag (or chevron) moulding and inside is an original Roman arch.
The Lych Gate was erected in 1919 as a First World War memorial and contains a plaque with the names of the 109 local men who gave their lives.
The main entry point to the church today features an etched glass door presented by the Atkinson family (including the actor Rowan Atkinson) in 2008 in memory of their mother Ella May, who died in 1998.
The original church clock was instigated in 1767 by Eliezer Birch who paid half the cost. It had two dials (faces) but only the hour hand. In 1861 Robert Forster added the minute hand (paid for by public subscription). The present mechanism dates from the 1897 Jubilee.
On the north face is a stone, possibly part of a former Roman altar, showing an eagle with a hooked bill. The stained glass windows are all 1864 to 1975.
St Andrew’s Churchyard is a memorial to many generations of Corbridge citizens and families. The oldest legible gravestone is that of Nicholas Stokoe (1733) who lived in ‘Westfield’ on Main Street. The church cemetery closed in 1872 when the present day one was opened on the south side of the river.
The present century started with the insertion of the Millennium window and a new lighting system.
As well as regular services and church groups, this vibrant church at the heart of the community hosts many events such as Corbridge’s annual Chamber Music Festival and other concerts. The Flower Festival in summer and Christmas Tree Festival in December attract thousands of visitors to the village.
St Andrew’s Church is usually open to visitors every day.
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Historic Corbridge 