Northumbria in the First Millennium

Far from being the Dark Ages, Anglo-Saxon England glitters, not just with artefacts and manuscripts, but with characters. This tour will set out to find some of them, whether it's the arrogant St Wilfred in Hexham (where we explore the crypt that is all that remains of his 7th century church), Benedict Biscop, founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory, or St Cuthbert, who would become the most powerful saint in the north. Of course, our investigations would hardly be possible without the guiding light of the Venerable Bede, one of our greatest scholars.

Our itinerary will unearth clues about our Anglo-Saxon past in a range of contexts, including at parish churches, such as Escomb – one of northern Europe’s finest examples of early Christian architecture. We will follow in the footsteps of pilgrims on our journey to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and will spend time at the glorious cathedral in Durham, examining the building’s interior and exterior, and enjoying the cathedral’s collections in the impressive Open Treasure exhibition in its Claustral buildings.

From June 793, the Vikings inflicted terror and misery for some 22 decades on the northern kingdom, but they also brought with them their own culture. It influenced church art until roughly 1200, and some of the results can still be seen today.

We will stay throughout at the four-star Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County, with splendid views of Durham’s cathedral and historical quarter.

This tour will be led by medieval historian Imogen Corrigan, BA, MPhil, FRSA. Following almost 20 years in the army, Imogen obtained a first-class degree in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval History from the University of Kent and subsequently an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Her first book, Stone on Stone: The Men who Built the Cathedrals, was published in 2019 by Robert Hale. She is an accredited Arts Society lecturer.