A Saxon Church in Bolton upon Dearne

A general view of the nave at the church of St.Andrew the Apostle

Looking at the geological map of the area around Bolton upon Dearne, it can be seen that St. Andrew's church is set on Mexborough Rock, a massive, medium grained sandstone that is buff/brown in colour in this region, unlike the variety known as Rotherham Red sandstone, which has been used to build many of the mediaeval churches in the southern part of Rotherham.

A diagram showing the Anglo-Saxon features in the nave

I had seen the brown Mexborough Rock in quarries in Hooton Roberts and Darfield, when surveying geological sites for the South Yorkshire RIGS Group, but I haven't examined any historic buildings that are known to be built of this stone; however a substantial quarry is marked on a Victorian Ordnance Survey map, less than 500 metres away from St. Andrew's church, and I am assuming that it is the building stone used here.

An arch and blocked doorway

From a distance, the masonry to the south elevation of the nave – constituting the bulk of the visible remains of the Saxon church – is obviously different to the adjoining tower and chancel and comprises simple rubble walling, with large windows of a completely different style inserted into it.

Remnants of door jambs

Looking much closer, quoins in the long and short style can be seen on both corners of the nave, together with the remains of jambs and voussoirs. I possess a good eye for detail, sharpened by my recent investigations, but if I didn't possess an authoritative report on the Anglo-Saxon churches in South Yorkshire, I wouldn't have noticed some of them – such is the extent of the inappropriate sand and Portland cement 'pointing' that has been smeared all over the stonework.

Long and short style quoins

That said, the window set high up in the nave makes St. Andrew's church well worth seeing for its rarity value – carved from a large block of sandstone that would be best described as flaggy and not a freestone.

A window formed from a single slab of sandstone