The church was built in the late 7th or early 8th century and has remained largely unaltered since. The stones were reused from the nearby former Roman fortress at Binchester and there are some Roman inscriptions still visible on the walls. There are many fragments of 8th and 9th century carved stone and sculpture, suggesting this was an important ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. site. They include images of birds and plants, a grave marker, and a sundial. Surprisingly, despite the well-built stone church and surviving sculptural fragments, Escomb is not mentioned in any pre-Conquest documentary account.