Chollerton-Churches.org.uk

The Parish Church of St Aidan, Thockrington

Thockrington Church, the oldest parish church in Northumberland, is perched on an outcrop of the Whin Sill, about a mile to the north of the Hexham to Alnmouth 'Corn Road' between Colwell and Little Bavington, and some 700 feet above sea level. Despite its remoteness the church is visited by many who value its tranquillity, and its landscape.

Thockrington Church, latterly attributed to St. Aidan as patron saint, was built by the Norman family of Umfraville in 1100 AD. It remained in their possession, with adjoining lands, until 1226, when they were forfeited to the Archbishop of York as compensation for disturbances to the peace of the Prior of Hexham and damage done to the Archbishop's lands by Robert Umfraville. The Archbishop assigned the church and its revenues as an endowment for a prebend in his cathedral in York. This arrangement lasted 625 years, until the death of the last prebend in 1851, when it was merged into the diocese of Durham. However, the association continues; there is still the Tockerington stall at York Minster, and the succession of Prebendaries is now into its 773rd year.

Documentary evidence of the population of the settlement at Thockrington dates back at least to the 1296 Lay Subsidy Roll, when 18 tax payers are recorded, through to the early nineteenth century when 25-30 cottages existed. In 1847 a returning sailor reputedly brought cholera, and the village was wiped out, the houses being burnt. Apart from some foundations pressing through the turf, a single farmstead and the church are all that remain.

You can contact the Benefice at the following:

The Revd J Wylam
The Vicarage,
Chollerton,
Nr Hexham,
Northumberland
NE46 4TF

01434 681721
Email

Hadrian Awards 2007
Gunnerton Church has been given a prestigious Hadrian Award. Hadrian Awards celebrate and promote the best in architecture and design of the built environment in the North East and Cumbria.

To be selected for an award, schemes must meet a number of criteria, including being fit for purpose, and be an innovative trail-blazer. Both these aspects of the Award and more have been met.

The award is a tribute to Vincente Stienlet of Gosforth, our architect, who was sympathetic to the heritage of the church, the needs of the congregation and the community.