The parish church of Saint Andrew's has been added to over the years. Some of the building dates back to about 680 AD, when Northumbria was a separate kingdom.
THE SAXON CHURCH
The oldest parts of Saint Andrew's are still visible in some of the walls of the chancel behind the choir stalls. Though much repaired, experts date them at 600 - 800 AD.
From the outside of the church, looking at the south wall of the chancel there is a blocked doorhead, (A on the plan) with a semi-circular doorhead in solid stone, a good clue to Saxon architecture. A corner of the nave of the old Saxon church is built up alternately of short stout stones and long stones on end (B on the plan). This is certainly ancient and is Saxon 'long and short work'.
Also from the outside of the church, looking at the east gable of the south aisle, (C on the plan) you can see two sloping lines showing former roof levels. From the inside of the church you can see the aforementioned blocked doorhead, with a slightly different head. About one metre above it there is a large stone on end that . This marks the position of a typically Saxon window (E on the plan).
There is a similar stone in the north wall. Over the vestry door is another semi-circular doorhead (F on the plan).
The dedication to Saint Andrew is a further clue of an early date. Andrew was the favourite saint of Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham. Five churches on Tyneside were dedicated to him:
Hexham Abbey (674)
Corbridge (676)
Bywell
Newcastle
Heddon
Probably all are contemporary.
This early Saxon church would have been small and narrow, like the present choir space area, with a nave only half the present length, and a semi-circular apse at the east end.
The Saxon church stood for about 500 years.
THE LATE NORMAN CHURCH
Shortly after the foundation of Blanchland Abbey, in 1165, the monks were given land around Heddon by Walter de Bolbec, and became responsible for it's church.
Further extension work was carried out. The eastern apse disappeared, and in it's place was built the present sanctuary. In the arch between choir and sanctuary the crossed vaults (H on the plan) are supported on short pillars at their four corners, these form a stone canopy over the 'holy of holies'.
In the north wall is an original Norman window (J on the plan). The stone cross displayed below it is probably an early 11th Century grave cross. The much larger windows to east and south are later insertions. There is probably part of the lid of a stone coffin set in the cill if the second window on the south side (K on the plan). It was found under the floor of the church in 1937.
Having completed the sanctuary, the builders turned to the nave, adding first the north aisle, with the inner surface of each arch plain (L on the plan). This was followed by the south aisle, with the inner surface of each arch ribbed (M on the plan). As the chancel arch is also ribbed, this must have been built about the same time as the south aisle, possibly because an earlier arch had collapsed.
The extension was completed by the addition of the third bay of the nave, bringing the west wall of the church to the line (R on the plan). One reference dates the porch at 1392, so the extension must have taken about 200 years to complete.
The internal appearance of the church would then, be very similar to what it is today, except that the rooves of the aisles would be much lower, and the windows tiny or non-existent.
Though much of the work would be financed locally, and done with local labour, a great deal is owed to the 'white canons' of Blanchland. Their contribution is acknowledged by the inclusion of a picture of the abbey church (now Blanchland parish church) in the Saint Andrew's window at the west end of the south aisle (S on the plan).
After the dissolution of the monastery at Blanchland, in 1539, the right of choice of vicars of Heddon passed to the Crown and subsequently to the Lord Chancellor, who is the present patron.
A list of vicars from 1296 is displayed in the porch. Registers from 1656 are in the custody of the County Records Office. Gravestones in the churchyard go back to 1724.
MORE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The next major work was the insertion of new windows in the north aisle in 1839. This is the only date on the building (Q on the plan). Over the three windows are the initials of the vicar, J. A. Blackett. Between 1841 and 1845 the fourth bay was added to the nave. This involved removal of a wooden musician's gallery with vestry beneath, which stood at the back of the third bay - a slanting mark of the original staircase can be seen on the pillar (P on the plan).
The present vestry was built about 1866. Further improvements between 1873 and 1877 included the staining of the east window, provision of a new altar, choir stalls and pulpit, and the installation of the organ, built by Bevington & Son of Soho, Birmingham. A new organ chamber was built between the north aisle and the vestry.
The east window enlarged in 1841 and stained in 1873, is a Jesse window, a family tree in glass, showing the decent of David and Solomon, and ultimately our Lord from Jesse, the old man at the foot of the middle lancet.
A note by the Rev Boulker showed that on one occassion, in July 1893, the attendance at the church had been 231 seated, 24 in the choir , and 60 children with 51 seats unused.
The remaining stained glass is of interest, not only for it's quality, but because all thirteen windows were stained at one time (1921) by the gift of Sir James Knott. Twenty-nine saints and others are depicted, all in similar style. To achieve this uniformity seven stained glass windows were removed: the memorial inscriptions and the saints depicted were incorporated in the new designs.
In 1910 gas lighting was installed in the church to replace the existing oil lamps. The gas lamps were replaced with electric lighting given by the Robinson family in 1936, in memory of Colonel Ernest Robinson of Heddon Hall..
In 1937 the church was refloored, refurbished, reseated and a new central heating boiler was installed. This proved to be a larger job than originally anticipated due to subsidence and dry rot. The pews, from Newcastle Cathederal, were given by Lady Elizabeth Knott in memory of her husband . A new boiler, which could be fired by either coke or oil, was installed in 1959.
Extracts from the "Old Bywell" Church Reader Diocese of Newcastle - Deanery of Corbridge Parish of Heddon on the Wall