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Round tower church

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Round-tower church Photo of Gisleham round tower church Suffolk

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Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, mostly in East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in Norfolk, 38 in Suffolk, six in Essex, three in Sussex and two each in Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. There is evidence of about 20 round-tower churches in Germany, of similar design and construction to those in East Anglia. Countries with at least one round-tower church include Andorra, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Poland and South Africa.

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Round-tower church The Round Tower Church of Titchwell Norfolk 9 Echoes of the Past

The distinctive feature of these churches is, of course, their round towers. The reason for their construction – mostly by the Anglo-Saxons – is a matter of dispute. Suggested explanations include the following:

Round-tower church Norfolk Round Towers I

  • Round-tower churches are found in areas lacking normal building stone, and are therefore built of knapped flint. Corners are difficult to construct in flint, hence the thick, round walls of the towers.
  • The churches are found in areas subject to raids from, for example, the Vikings, and were built as defensive structures, churches being added later. In fact, however, the towers are generally too short to have been of much use defensively, and the towers were often added to existing churches, having flat walls where they joined the main structure.
  • In 937 King Athelstan (924–939), the first King of all England, decrees that a bell tower be built on the land of every thane; an existing trend of building bell towers on to existing churches was thus accelerated.

    • Round-tower church Round Tower Churches Echoes of the Past

    Many other (less likely) explanations are offered in communities containing the churches, including appeals to ancient stone circles and the remains of wells.

    Round-tower church Round Tower Church Photography Norwich Norfolk UK

    Round-tower churches should not be confused with similarly shaped structures such as the Irish round towers found in Ireland and Scotland, or with round churches, which have a circular plan and are often found in Denmark or Sweden.

    Round-tower church httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

    Berkshire

  • Great Shefford, St Mary
  • Welford, St Gregory

    • Cambridgeshire

  • Bartlow, St Mary
  • Snailwell, St Peter

    • Sussex

  • Lewes, St Michael
  • Piddinghoe, St John
  • Southease – St Peter

    • Round-tower church Titchwell round tower church Norfolk

    References

    Round-tower church Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA