EARLIEST - Christian Church in Britain - Butt Road, Colchester, UK
N 51° 53.192 E 000° 53.641
31U E 355065 N 5750514
The remains of this church and graveyard, built in the 4th century, were unearthed in the 1980s during excavations for a new police station. The site is at the junction of Southway and Butt Road just to the west of the police station.
Waymark Code: WMRN10
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/11/2016
Views: 1
Wikipedia, in an article about Colchester churches, tells us about the Butt Road church:
Excavations in the 1980s for a new police station near the Maldon Road roundabout unearthed 371 Roman graves and a long narrow building. The building was built between AD 320 and 340. Oriented east to west, an apse was added to the east end in a later phase. The building was divided by a wooden screen and two rows of posts ran down the eastern half forming aisles. The building has been interpreted on strong circumstantial evidence as an early Christian church. If this is correct, it is probably the earliest known Christian church in Britain. The remains have been preserved and are visible from the public footpath.