Although it may come as a surprise, given the ubiquity of aisles in Late Antique basilicas and early medieval monastic churches, there is little evidence for aisles in English parish churches before the middle of 12th century. One of the earliest and most accomplished examples is the CCT church of St Peter's at Northampton. This abundantly illustrated lecture will examine St Peter's and discuss the implication of the emergence of the aisled parish church for the later Middle Ages.

John McNeill teaches at Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education, and is Secretary of the British Archaeological Association, for whom he has edited and contributed to volumes on Anjou, King’s Lynn and the Fens, the medieval cloister, and English medieval chantries. He was instrumental in establishing the BAA’s biennial International Romanesque Conference Series in 2010 and convened the eighth in the series - Romanesque and the Monastic Environment - in Spain earlier this year. He has a particular interest in English medieval parish churches.