Oldest buildings in the United Kingdom

This article lists the oldest extant freestanding buildings in the United Kingdom. In order to qualify for the list a structure must:

Roads are excluded although other structures such as bridges may be if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria.

Building Location First Built Notes
Knap of Howar Papa Westray, Orkney 3500 BC A Neolithic farmstead, claimed to be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe.
Midhowe Chambered Cairn Rousay, Orkney 3500 BC A well preserved example of the Orkney-Cromarty type of chambered cairn.
Tomb of the Eagles South Ronaldsay, Orkney 3150 BC This chambered tomb was in use for 800 years or more. 16,000 human bones were found here, as well as 725 bird bones, predominantly White-tailed Sea Eagle.[1]
Skara Brae Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney 3100 BC A large stone-built Neolithic village Mainland, Orkney, Scotland 3180 BC–2500 BC. Europe's most complete Neolithic village with a high level of preservation and sophistication.[2]
Unstan Chambered Cairn Stenness, Mainland Orkney 2800-3400BC An Orkney-Cromarty chambered cairn.
Maeshowe Stenness, Mainland Orkney 2700 BC A large and unique chambered cairn and passage grave, aligned so that its central chamber is illuminated on the winter solstice.[3]
Jarlshof Sumburgh, Shetland 200 BC A complex of preserved wheelhouses, amongst the remains of a variety of much older and more recent buildings.[4][5]
Broch of Mousa Mousa, Shetland 1st century BC Located on a small island in Shetland, this is the best preserved of numerous brochs from this period.[6]
Temple of Claudius (Colchester Castle) Colchester, Essex 60 (circa) The substantial podium and vaults are of the Roman temple (of Camulodunum, capital of Britain) . The Norman castle above dates from c.1076.[7]
Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre Caerleon, Monmouthshire 90 (circa)
Painted House Dover, Kent 200 (circa) Also one of the best preserved Roman houses in Britain
Beehive cells Eileach an Naoimh, Argyll 6th century? The monastic centre on this island was founded by St. Brendan the Navigator in 542. The oldest remains include a double beehive cell and a grave and cross-slab associated with Eithne the mother of Columba. These are the oldest extant church buildings in Scotland and possibly Britain.[8][9][10]
Church of St Peter-on-the-Wall Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex 654 The Chapel is assumed to be that of "Ythanceaster" (Bede, book III, chapter XXII), originally constructed as an Anglo-Celtic Church for the East Saxons in 654 AD by St Cedd, astride the ruins of the abandoned Roman fort of Othona incorporating the Roman bricks and stones.
Escomb Church Escomb, County Durham 670
Ripon Cathedral Ripon, North Yorkshire 672 Only the Crypt survives at all - the earliest part of Cathedral itself is 1069
Hexham Abbey Hexham, Northumberland 674 St. Wilfred's 7th-century crypt survives, built largely out of stones from the Roman city at Corbridge. The main part of the abbey church dates to the 12th and 13th centuries.
St Peter's Church Monkwearmouth, Sunderland 674
St Paul's Church Jarrow, Tyne and Wear 680 The Saxon chancel survives.
St Laurence's Church Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire 7th century
All Saints Church Brixworth, Northamptonshire 650-870
Greensted Church Greensted, Essex 845 The oldest wooden building in England
St Nicholas' Church, Leicester Leicester, Leicestershire 900 (circa)
St Mary's Church Sompting, West Sussex 960 (circa)
Holy Trinity Church, Colchester, Essex 1020 Oldest building in Colchester, which has an Anglo Saxon tower with an arrow head doorway. Burial place of William Gilbert and madrigal composer John Wilbye. Grade 1 listed building.
St Michael at the North Gate Oxford 1040 The tower dates from 1040. Oxford's oldest building.
St.Chads Church Stafford, Staffordshire 1050
Exeter Cathedral Exeter 1050 Historians suggest that this could be even AD 690
Norwich Castle Norwich, East Anglia 1067
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury, Kent 1070 Founded in 597
Richmond Castle Richmond, North Yorkshire Constructed from 1071
Tower of London London 1078
Ely Cathedral Ely, Cambridgeshire 1083
Shrewsbury Abbey Shrewsbury, Shropshire 1083
St Albans Cathedral St Albans, Hertfordshire 1089
St Nicholas Church Iford, East Sussex c. 1090[11]
Durham Cathedral Durham 1093
Winchester Cathedral Winchester, Hampshire 1093
Norwich Cathedral Norwich, Norfolk 1096
Church of St Andrew, Stogursey Stogursey, Somerset 1107[12]
St Margaret's Chapel Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland 1124
Rochester Castle Rochester, Kent 1127
Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland 1128
Rochester Cathedral Rochester, Kent 1130
Dover Priory Dover, Kent 1131 One of the oldest monastic Refectories, still in use today by Dover College
Kirkstead Abbey Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire 1139 (founded) Destroyed during the reformation; only a single part remains
Cardiff Castle Cardiff, South Wales 1140 (circa) The existing Great Keep was built by Robert "the Consul".[13]
Cubbie Roo's Castle Wyre, Orkney c. 1145 The ruins include a small square keep still extant to 2.4 metres (8 ft) in height.[14]
Birkenhead Priory Birkenhead, Wirral 1150
Jew's House Lincoln, Lincolnshire c. 1150
Adel St John the Baptist Church Adel, Leeds, Yorkshire 1150
Windsor Castle Windsor, Berkshire 1154
Bradwell Abbey Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire 1155 The Grade 1 Listed Chapel still remains, the inside of the Chapel is often open to the public
Saltford Manor House Saltford, Somerset c. 1160
Malmesbury Abbey Malmesbury, Wiltshire c. 1180 About a third of the original building remains, and is still in use
Cleeve Abbey Washford, Somerset 1198[15]
Aberdour Castle Aberdour, Fife c. 1200 Base of a late 12th or early 13th century hall house incorporated into later buildings[16]
Easaigh Church Ensay, Na h-Eileanan Siar 12th century
St. Leonard's Without Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire 1230-40
Icomb Place Icomb, Gloucestershire At least 1200-40 The first documented activity in the house, was a "restoration" in 1200. The Episcopal manor of Blockley owned the estate in 1086
York Castle York, Yorkshire 1265
Tintern Abbey Tintern, Gwent 1269-1301[17] The existing ruins of the great church date from this period.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tomb of the Eagles" tomboftheeagles.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  2. ^ Hawkes 1986, p. 262
  3. ^ "Maeshowe". Orkneyjar. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  4. ^ Jarlshof Prehistoric & Norse Settlement" Historic Scotland. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  5. ^ Armit, Ian (1991) The Atlantic Scottish Iron Age: five levels of chronology. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 121 page 193
  6. ^ Fojut, Noel (1981)"Is Mousa a broch?" Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. 111 pp. 220-228.
  7. ^ Colchester Castle, Essex, InfoBritain.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  8. ^ Pallister, Marian (2005) Lost Argyll: Argyll's Lost Heritage. Edinburgh. Birlinn. Pages 120 and 133.
  9. ^ "Garvellachs, Eileach An Naoimh" Canmore. Retrieved 13 Feb 2011.
  10. ^ "Jura National Scenic Area" (2010) (pdf) Extract from: The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas. SNH Commissioned Report No.374. Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 13 Feb 2011.
  11. ^ "St Nicholas, Iford, East Sussex". roughwood.net. 3 January 2004. http://www.roughwood.net/ChurchAlbum/EastSussex/Iford/IfordStNicholas2004.htm. 
  12. ^ "Stogursey Castle". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=265202. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
  13. ^ Cardiff Castle, Castles of Wales website. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
  14. ^ "Cubbie Roo's Castle". CANMORE. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
  15. ^ "Cleeve Abbey". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=264814. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  16. ^ Tabraham, Chris. (1997) Scotland's Castles, BT Batsford/Historic Scotland. ISBN 0-7134-7965-5 p.33
  17. ^ Cistercian Abbeys: TINTERN, University of Sheffield, Cistercians of Yorkshire Project. Retrieved 2011-11-12.