St Bene't's Church
A parish church with an Anglo-Saxon tower, on the street where Cambridge's oldest standing building meets the Eagle.
St Bene't's is a short step from Great St Mary's on Bene't Street, beside Corpus Christi College and across the road from The Eagle. Its tower is generally treated as the oldest standing building in Cambridge, which is the main reason to look in.
What to look for
- The Anglo-Saxon tower. The tower was "most probably" built between AD 1000 and 1050, and the church's own site says people have worshipped here since 1020. The alternating long-and-short stone at the corners is a characteristic Anglo-Saxon detail, and the arch beneath the tower inside is of the same early date.
- A college chapel. Until 1579 the church doubled as the chapel of Corpus Christi College, and the college still holds the patronage today.
- The Victorian rebuilding. The north aisle and porch were rebuilt in 1853 by Raphael Brandon, and in 1872 Arthur Blomfield rebuilt the south aisle, chancel and nave clerestory.
- The brass. A small kneeling figure commemorates Richard de Billingford, Master of Corpus Christi from 1398 until his death in 1432.
- The bells. Six hang in the tower, five of them cast in the 16th or 17th centuries. Fabian Stedman, a pioneer of change ringing, served as parish clerk in the mid-1600s.
Practical notes
The church site says the building is open every day, with Holy Communion and Evening Prayer daily and Sunday services at 8am and 10am. Visitors are welcome to look around. The building is listed Grade I.
Rainy-day Cambridge
Medieval Cambridge
Places of worship
Grade I listed buildings
City Centre
More churches
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
