St Andrew's Church, Dacre — Attraction in Dacre

Parking available outside the church or in the village, the Church is usually open most days There has been continuous Christian worship on this site since the 7th century. The Miracle of Dacre is mentioned by the Venerable Bede in 698, and it was here that King Athelstan convened the Congress of Dacre in 934. Intricately carved fragments of two Saxon stone crosses intrigue visitors seeking to interpret the stories they tell. The current Norman church, built on the site of the Saxon monastery, is mainly 12th century with 13th and 14th century additions.

Dacre is home to The Dacre Bears; the meaning and origins of these four statues are still a mystery. The tower houses three mediaeval bells and in the sanctuary is an effigy of a crusader knight. Lady Anne Clifford, a great Northern landowner in the 17th century donated a magnificent lock which secures the south door. A beautiful Church in a wonderful setting and definitely...

A lovely church building and grounds with some considerable history. It was mid week when we visited so there was no service on, but its nice to see there is an active Church. We bumped in to the vicar's husband and spoke with him for almost an hour. A very pleasant guy, who told us about some of the church's history and the amazing stone bears in the grounds. Hoping to visit again...

Very old spot, well worth a visit. We walked from the free park at Dalemain hall. Worth visiting the old knights grave inside the church, as well as the 4 stone bears at each corner of the church.

Lots of history described in the booklet provided...