Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, mostly in
East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in
Norfolk, 38 in
Suffolk, six in
Essex, three in
Sussex and two each in
Cambridgeshire and
Berkshire. There is evidence of about 20 round-tower churches in Germany, of similar design and construction to those in East Anglia. Countries with at least one round-tower church include
Andorra, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Poland and South Africa.
There is no consensus between experts for why the distribution of round-tower churches in England is concentrated in the East of England:
Round-tower churches are found in areas lacking normal building stone, and are therefore built of knapped
flint. Corners are difficult to construct in flint, hence the thick, round walls of the towers.
The churches are found in areas subject to raids from, for example, the
Vikings, and were built as defensive structures, churches being added later. In fact, however, the towers are generally too short to have been of much use defensively, and the towers were often added to existing churches, having flat walls where they joined the main structure.
In 937 King
Æthelstan (924–939), the first King of all England, decrees that a
bell tower be built on the land of every
thane; an existing trend of building bell towers on to existing churches was thus accelerated.
Many other (less likely) explanations are offered in communities containing the churches, including appeals to ancient stone circles and the remains of wells.
Round-tower churches should not be confused with similarly shaped structures such as the
Irish round towers found in Ireland and
Scotland, or with
round churches, which have a circular plan and are often found in
Denmark or
Sweden.
Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, mostly in
East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in
Norfolk, 38 in
Suffolk, six in
Essex, three in
Sussex and two each in
Cambridgeshire and
Berkshire. There is evidence of about 20 round-tower churches in Germany, of similar design and construction to those in East Anglia. Countries with at least one round-tower church include
Andorra, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Poland and South Africa.
There is no consensus between experts for why the distribution of round-tower churches in England is concentrated in the East of England:
Round-tower churches are found in areas lacking normal building stone, and are therefore built of knapped
flint. Corners are difficult to construct in flint, hence the thick, round walls of the towers.
The churches are found in areas subject to raids from, for example, the
Vikings, and were built as defensive structures, churches being added later. In fact, however, the towers are generally too short to have been of much use defensively, and the towers were often added to existing churches, having flat walls where they joined the main structure.
In 937 King
Æthelstan (924–939), the first King of all England, decrees that a
bell tower be built on the land of every
thane; an existing trend of building bell towers on to existing churches was thus accelerated.
Many other (less likely) explanations are offered in communities containing the churches, including appeals to ancient stone circles and the remains of wells.
Round-tower churches should not be confused with similarly shaped structures such as the
Irish round towers found in Ireland and
Scotland, or with
round churches, which have a circular plan and are often found in
Denmark or
Sweden.