St Paul's Church

We arrive at Jarrow's St Paul's Church - one of the most special in the region and once the cultural epicentre of the North East alongside St Peter's.

This was part of the wider monastery which sits in ruins directly adjacent. Inside, you'll still find the 7th century foundation stone to Biscop - the main who founded the joint abbey. Biscop, after multiple trips to the continent, handpicked masons and artisans from across Francia and the Low Countries.

They returned to construct the continental-flavoured St Peter's at Monkwearmouth. Ecgfrith, the King of Northumbria, granted land to construct the church here under the same adjudication and design, which is why we continue to see the same pre-Romanesque flare. The tower is Norman mind but is very likely influenced by the saxon construction prior.

So what do we see today? The underbelly of the church is certainly 7th century, and the foundation stone inside testifies this. Part of the original north wall of the nave survives too. The eastern section is Saxon, which is the chancel today, and the tower is norman. Since then, there has been periodical restorations and rebuilds notably in 1782 and 1866 when George Gilbert Scott added a north aisle and porch. Scott is known across the country for his gothic masterpiece at St Pancras as well as some of the Whitehall buildings.

We also see some of the oldest stained glass in the world, crafted with the hands of the European artisans who came over for Biscop. Not in its original composition mind, but put back together in 1973 from fragments found inside.

The Monastery

Just like the church, these ruins are a patchwork of eras which were added onto each other until the suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century.

Though Bede resided here for most of his life, much of what we see does not date from when he took residence. Monastic life declined a little time after his death but was reestablished in the 11th century. It was Aldwin, the prior of Winchcombe, who devoted his life to the workings of Bede and restarted the monastery.

He reconstructed it in the style of the traditional Benedictine complexes with a central cloister, but only partly finished it before becoming the Prior of Durham. Thereafter, it was a poor and austere colony with only a few monks here. It wasn’t until the 13th or 14th century when most of the ruins we see came to fruition and self sustenance really began.

There was a farm here with a granary, mill and barn. A chapter house and kitchen stood on the east side which is part of what we see today.

Much of it was cleared as part of the wider dissolution in the 1530s, but parts were continually demolished through the centuries. It still marks one of the most remarkable religious sites in the whole of the north though, and I’m still yet to do the walk from Peter to Paul!