160 Churches to Explore in England

A majestic parish church which was one of the great Cistercian monasteries of England. The abbey was founded in 1147 by monks from Morimond in France - the only daughter house ever founded by Morimond. The church was begun in 1175 and consecrated one century later.

One of the most complete Victorian churches in Cambridge, containing work by William Morris, and Charles Eamer Kempe. The distinctive spire makes All Saints the third tallest building in Cambridge and can be seen across the city. The church’s ornate interior is a fine example of the late 18th century Arts & Crafts Movement. It was one of the main pilgrimage centers in this area and also it is attracted by many tourists too.

All Saints' Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England, situated in Stamford. It is one of the oldest churches in Stamford. It began as a daughter church of St Peter's, but in the 16th-century St Peter's was closed and the two congregations merged. It was now one of the famous pilgrimage centres in this area and also a torusit attraction too.

All Saints Church in Brixworth is the largest Saxon church in England, indeed it is probably the largest Anglo-Saxon building of any kind. It was founded around AD 680 by monks from Peterborough, and unlike some early churches, has retained much of its Saxon architecture. It is the largest English church that remains substantially as it was in the Anglo-Saxon era. It was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1954.

The Arundel Cathedral, originally known as the Church of St. Philip Neri, was commissioned by Henry XV Duke of Norfolk in 1868 and was opened on 1st of July 1873. It became a cathedral at the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965. It now serves as the seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. It was one of the notable pilgrim sites in this area and also it attracts a lot of tourists by its architectural beauty.

The monastery at Beaulieu was founded in 1204 by King John, and its Abbey Church dedicated to St. Mary in 1246. Most of the Abbey fell into ruins after the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII, but Domus, cloisters, and refectory remain. It was now one of the main pilgrimage and tourist attractions in this area.

Belmont Abbey is a monastery of the Benedictine Order operational for 1500+ years. It stands on a small hill overlooking the city of Hereford to the east, with views across to the Black Mountains, Wales to the west. The 19th century Abbey also serves as a parish church.

Beverley Minster is one of the largest parish churches in England, larger than one-third of all English cathedrals and regarded as a gothic masterpiece by many. Originally a collegiate church, it was not selected as a bishop's seat during the Dissolution of the Monasteries; nevertheless, it survived as a parish church and the chapter house and the attached church of St Martin were the only major parts of the building to be lost. It is part of the Greater Churches Group and a Grade I listed build

Birkenhead Priory is the oldest standing building on Merseyside founded in 1150. The remains of the priory are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Bolton Abbey lies in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales near Skipton. The land was gifted to the Augustinian canons by Alice de Rumilly in 1154. The canons lived and worshipped here until 1539 when the dissolution of the monasteries stripped the Priory of its assets. Despite the loss of most of the Priory buildings during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the western half of the original nave was preserved so that the local parish could continue its worship there.

Boxgrove Priory is a ruined priory in the village of Boxgrove in Sussex. It was founded in the 12th century. In a beautiful setting at the foot of the South Downs, the principal remains include a fine two-storey guest house, roofless but standing to its full height at the gable ends. The priory church became Boxgrove’s parish church after the Suppression of the Monasteries and is still in use.

Bridlington Priory is a majestic church which was in Bridlington’s Old Town and was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1113 and was from the start a rich and important religious house. Inside the church, as well as beautiful soaring columns and impressive stained glass windows, visitors can learn about the history of the Priory through a fascinating series of appliquéd pictures. It was one of the main pilgrimage sites in this area as well as a tourist attraction too.

Brinkburn Northumberland is a rustic yet elegant 12th-century manor house and Priory, Grade 2 listed stable block and private estate grounds nestled in a secluded wooded ravine on the banks of the River Coquet.The 12th-century church of the Augustinian Priory was completely reroofed and restored in the mid-19th century. It is one of the best examples of early Gothic architecture in Northumberland. Stepping inside will transport you back in time. See the striking stained glass windows and William

Bristol Cathedral is one of England's great medieval churches which was originated as an Augustinian Abbey, founded c. 1140 by a prominent local citizen, Robert Fitzharding, who became first Lord Berkeley. The eastern end of the Cathedral, especially in the choir, gives Bristol Cathedral a unique place in the development of British and European architecture.

Buckfast Abbey is a modern Benedictine monastery in a peaceful setting on the verge of Dartmoor. . The monastery was surrendered for dissolution in 1539, with the monastic buildings stripped and left as ruins, before being finally demolished. The former abbey site was used as a quarry, and later became home to a Gothic mansion house.

Byland Abbey is a ruined abbey and a small village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It was founded as a Savigniac abbey in January 1135 and was absorbed by the Cistercian order in 1147. The site is now maintained by English Heritage and is scheduled as an ancient monument by Historic England with grade I listed status.

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. Its cathedral has been the primary ecclesiastical centre of England since the early 7th century CE. Before the English Reformation the cathedral was part of a Benedictine monastic community known as Christ Church, Canterbury, as well as being the seat of the archbishop.

Carlisle Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Carlisle, in Cumbria, in northwest England. It is the seat of the bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle. The building is constructed of red sandstone. Large scale restoration was carried out in 1853-7. The present structure has lost the greater part of its original nave, destroyed by the Scots in the 17th century.

It was one of the largest and best-preserved monastic sites in England dating back to 1090. It was the home of the first Cluniac order of monks to England and the Cluniac love of decoration is everywhere reflected in the extensive ruins. Originally the priory was sited within the walls of Castle Acre Castle, but this proved too small and inconvenient for the monks, hence the priory was relocated to the present site in the castle grounds about one year later.