Durham churches: a programme of archaeological assessment

The Diocese of Durham have commissioned a series of archaeological assessments of medieval parish churches within the county. These entail investigation of the fabric and brief examination of faculty and other historical evidence. Most of these churches have aroused little interest since the antiquarian era. The assessment programme is allowing the revision of the structural histories of many buildings where previously unrecognised phases, ranging from pre-Conquest to post-medieval in date, can now be demonstrated. The nature and extent of 19th-century ‘restoration’ works has also never been adequately documented.