The Saxon Church - Shrouded in Secrets

With both simple beauty and an exciting history, the Saxon Church is one of Bradford on Avon's oldest and perhaps best known buildings, its ancient stone walls hiding many a mystery and controversy spanning the ages.

The dating of the church has been much debated but many believe it was originally built in the 7th century by St Aldhelm, the first Bishop of Malmesbury and member of the royal house of Wessex. St Aldhelm was reputed to be a great musician and when people did not attend church he would play his lute on the town bridge to attract the crowd before discussing divine matters!

Stylistic evidence in the church points to the late Saxon period so it was possible that the church was resurrected on the original foundations of St Aldhelm's church in the 10th or 11th century.

For centuries the Saxon church was lost, hidden behind the buildings of various other
establishments. It was used as a free school for boys in the 1800's - you can still see the blackening on the wall from the kitchen fire in the nave - also as an “ossuary”, a skull and bone house in 1715. A vicar once reported sighting a ghostly congregation dressed in medieval clothes waiting at the altar to take communion, adding to the air of mystery surrounding the little church.

Guardian Angels
It was not until 1856 that repair work uncovered the carvings of two angels over what is now known to be the original chancel arch. This led to the discovery of the small church by Canon Jones, then vicar of Bradford on Avon, who brought it to public attention by the early 1870s.

Today the church is still used as a place of worship by the congregation of Holy Trinity as well as other Christian groups.