Church of St Oswald

St Oswald’s Church stands in Durham, County Durham, as a Grade II* listed parish church of the Church of England. Parts of the building date from the 12th century, though it was rebuilt in the 19th century. Ignatius Bonomi oversaw a major rebuilding in 1834, and later Hodgson Fowler added the tower, chancel and organ chamber in 1864. The church contains stained glass by Morris & Co, Kempe and Co, and Clayton and Bell. A fire in 1984 destroyed the organ and part of the chancel, but a new instrument was installed in a west-end gallery. The church belongs to the Three Saints benefice within the Diocese of Durham. It has recently shared its space with the Eastern Orthodox Church of St Cuthbert and St Bede. Notable figures connected with the church include the organist David Higgins, who served from 1974 to 2006, and the composer Will Todd, who sang in the choir under Higgins. The 16th-century vicar Anthony Belasyse later became Archdeacon of Colchester. Visitors find a building with medieval origins and Victorian additions. The west window, designed by Morris & Co with panels by Ford Madox Brown, fills the interior with coloured light. The organ, rebuilt after the 1984 fire and restored in 2019, stands in a new gallery at the west end. Across the road lies the former churchyard, now a play park, where John Bacchus Dykes is buried. The church’s quiet position in Durham offers a place of reflection close to the city’s historic centre.