---
title: "St Francis of Assisi, Byrness"
description: "Located in Byrness, Northumberland. Built 1796; restored, gothicized and chancel partly rebuilt 1884. Diocese of Newcastle. Grade II. Late Georgian, gothicized style."
category: "Church"
tags: ["Church","Church of England","Northumberland","Byrness","Grade II","Georgian","Catcleugh"]
canonical: "https://thebritishgazette.com/post/st-francis-assisi-byrness"
pubDate: "2026-09-06T01:25:38.103Z"
dateModified: "2026-09-07T17:47:54.447Z"
location: "Byrness, Northumberland"
country: "England"
county: "Northumberland"
town: "Byrness"
address: "Byrness, Northumberland, NE19 1TR"
postcode: "NE19 1TR"
built: "1796; restored, gothicized and chancel partly rebuilt 1884"
architect: "F. R. Wilson (1884 restoration)"
denomination: "Church of England"
dedications: ["Francis"]
diocese: "Newcastle"
grade: "II"
style: "Late Georgian, gothicized"
materials: "Ashlar with stone slate roof"
openingHours: "Sorry, there are no regular opening times for this church."
parish: "Horsley with Byrness"
listEntryUrl: "https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1044835"
gridReference: "NT 770 023"
accessNotes: "Level access to the main areas"
---

# St Francis of Assisi, Byrness

St Francis of Assisi is a Grade II parish church in Byrness, Rochester civil parish, Northumberland, a small estate church on the edge of Kielder Forest in the Diocese of Newcastle.

## Overview

Historic England dates the church to 1796, restored, gothicized and with the chancel partly rebuilt in 1884 by F. R. Wilson. The fabric is ashlar with a stone slate roof: a two-bay nave, chancel, west baptistry or vestry, north porch and west bellcote. Eighteenth-century round-headed nave windows have nineteenth-century Decorated tracery; the inner doorway is dated 1796. The interior is otherwise of 1884, with a double-chamfered chancel arch, canted timber ceiling and encaustic sanctuary tiles.

A south window of 1903 commemorates men, women and children who died during construction of Catcleugh Reservoir; an adjacent brass lists 64 people who died between 1891 and 1904. The parish is Horsley with Byrness. The listing (1044835, 10 November 1951) was formerly headed Byrness Church.

## Further Information

- [Historic England list entry 1044835](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1044835)
- [Geograph: Church of St Francis of Assisi, Byrness](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6116899)