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January 18, 2024

Bewcastle, Cumbria – St Cuthbert (again)

On Tuesday 9 January 2024 we had a hire car sitting on the drive – Bristol Street Motors in Hexham being unable to get the right part to repair ours and Motability having a duty to keep their disabled customer on the road (a duty they have failed to cover in the last four weeks as their “preferred supplier” Europcar just say “we haven’t got an automatic”). Sorry, rant over. Now we have a hire car, let’s get some miles on the clock. As the sun sank slowly in the west we headed towards it, and ended up in...
Categories Cumbria/Roman Britain Comment: 1
January 11, 2024

Barton, Cumbria – St Michael’s (again)

Monday 8 January 2024 and I caught the train to Penrith for a few hours with Clare. We had a leisurely coffee and scone in Pooley Bridge, then drove up the road to St Michael’s church, Barton – and realised I had been here. It was almost a decade ago – https://www.northernvicar.co.uk/2013/12/11/barton-cumbria-st-michael/. I described it last time as “a wonderful, chunky church”. It still is. The porch was built in the C17 by Moses Sisson, although it contains earlier work and a C13 door. The shield of arms above the keystone was placed there for Sir James Lowther in...
Categories Cumbria/World War 1 Comments: 2
November 9, 2023

northernvicar September 2023

We’re back in Northumberland, and the gardens at Belsay (English Heritage) are looking beautiful. I had a trip on the South Tynedale Railway and a hospital visit to Manchester via Liverpool. At Carlisle I was pleased to see 46115 “Scots Guardsman”, built by the North British Loco Company in Glasgow in 1927. It is the loco which featured in the film “Night Mail”. Beautiful National Trust gardens at Wallington. A trip to George Stephenson’s birthplace at Wylam – a rarely opened National Trust property. A trip to Carlisle, for lunchtime communion and a meet up with Clare. I decided...
Categories Cumbria/National Trust/Northumberland/Railway History Comment: 1
August 24, 2023

Lanercost Priory, Cumbria – St Mary Magdalene (again)

On Saturday 19 August 2023 we drove up to the Military Road and headed west. We ended up at café next to Lanercost Priory. The menu didn’t say that breakfast was only available until 1100 (it was now almost 1200), but the chef said he/she would make us waffles and bacon – “must be in a good mood” said the lass on the till. We walked next door to St Mary Magdalene church and the Priory – I blogged the church in 2015, nice to visit again – www.northernvicar.co.uk/2015/06/15/lanercost-priory-cumbria-st-mary-magdalene/ This time I didn’t get decent photos of the exterior...
Categories Cumbria Comments: 0
November 14, 2018

Torpenhow, Cumbria – St Michael

The final church visit of the day was St Michael Torpenhow – NY 206397 – website. The guidebook was first produced in 1969 “and coincided with the truly remarkable Parish Flower Festival.” Even now the PCC are meeting to plan the 50th anniversary celebrations of a remarkable Parish Flower Festival! They suggest the Britons called the small hill a ‘Pen’. The Saxons, not understanding ‘Pen’ called it a ‘Tor-pen’ a pinnacle pen. The next bunch called it the ‘how’ (hill) of Torpen. Believe it if you wish! The church dates to about 1120, and is a C12 church which...
Categories Cumbria/World War 1 Comments: 0
November 11, 2018

Bassenthwaite, Cumbria – St Bega

Clare and I were a bit confused because the church we had just visited didn’t seem to fit the description in Betjeman’s Best British Churches.  A bit of investigation (i.e. the Cambridge Geographer read the map) took us to St Bega’s church, Bassenthwaite – NY 227287. They have the same website as the previous church – here. We parked and walked down to the church. It was probably a pre-Norman foundation, and was given to the monastery at Jedburgh in the C12. Pevsner says it is disappointing to find it is so Victorian, with the interior by S. Watson...
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November 10, 2018

Bassenthwaite, Cumbria – St John

We drove north along the east side of Bassenthwaite, and found St John’s church at NY 229316. The website is here. Pevsner says the church is 1878 by David Brade of Kendal, and describes it as “expensive but ill-proportioned”, though he says the inside is better. It didn’t do a lot for either of us. Tall, must be a pain to heat, and the 1900 stained glass by Clayton & Bell is not particularly inspiring. What lifted the church for me was this lovely map of the Lake, and the three windows by W. Wilson 1961. I have done...
Categories Cumbria/World War 1 Comments: 0
November 8, 2018

Crosthwaite, Cumbria – St Kentigern

On Tuesday 9 October I wanted a day with Clare, so braved Virgin Trains to go north. She met me at Penrith station, and we drove west, past Keswick on the bypass, and into Crosthwaite. The church of St Kentigern is by the school – NY 257243, website. It always good to know where the Gas valve is! St Kentigern, also known as Mungo, is a Scottish saint. He came here in 553 AD and set up his cross in a clearing or ‘thwaite’. There have been several different churches on this site – which remained in Scotland until William...
Categories Cumbria/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 2
February 18, 2018

Greystoke, Cumbria – St Andrew

We drove back along Ullswater to Pooley Bridge, then cut north across the A66 and to the village of Greystoke and St Andrew’s church – NY 443307. Quite a sizeable village and, to quote Pevsner, “a major church, broad but markedly deficient in height.” An early church here, perhaps linked to the Castle which was apparently built by the Viking leader Lyulph, was re-founded as a collegiate church (one of only two in the region) in 1382, perhaps a response to the Black Death, which carried off half the English clergy. Then it had a master, seven chaplains, and...
Categories Cumbria Comment: 1
February 15, 2018

Martindale, Cumbria – St Martin

We continued up Martindale and came to the Old Church, St Martin’s, NY 434184 – website. This has a regular Evensong in the summer. There were hundreds of names in the visitors books of both these Martindale churches. I know it is January, but why are there no leaflets suggesting other churches worth visiting, offering people pointers for prayer, or even explaining the Christian faith – surely missed opportunities. I have commented before that there is a “Tourism” page on the Carlisle Diocesan website, but you need to know (1) you are in Carlisle diocese, and (2) that you...
Categories Cumbria/Roman Britain Comments: 0