The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton

The Holy Sepulchre in Northampton is a Norman round church built around 1100. It stands in Sheep Street, close to the town centre, and is one of only four medieval round churches still in use in England. The building may have been commissioned by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, who took part in the First Crusade. He would have seen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a round church with eighteen columns and an ambulatory. The Northampton church was designed as a smaller version of that Jerusalem church. The church’s round nave has eight columns supporting a triforium, with an ambulatory running round the perimeter. A chancel was added to the east, and later aisles were built on the north and south sides. The original Norman windows survive, some at low level and others high up, showing there was once a gallery. The church was restored in the 19th century by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who shaped it into the building seen today. Inside, the round nave is the oldest part, with pointed arches from later alterations. The chancel screen was added in 1880 by John Oldrid Scott. The church has been served by notable clergy over the centuries, including Peter Whalley in the 18th century and Michael Hills until 2022. A single medieval burial remains, that of Lochlann, Lord of Galloway. The building’s history is preserved by the Northampton Holy Sepulchre Restoration Trust, set up in 1982.