St Paul's Church, Witherslack
Encyclopedia
St Paul's Church, Witherslack, is located in the village of Witherslack
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. The authors of the Buildings of England
series describe it as "an almost perfect example of a plain Gothic
church of that date, honest and unpretentious".
, dean of St Paul's Cathedral
, who died in 1664, to provide a burial place in the the village of his birth, rather than the dead having to be carried across the tidal estuary of the river Kent
for burial at St Michael's Church
in Beetham
. There had previously been a church in the village dedicated to Saint Mary, but this was ruined in the Civil War
. John Barwick's brother, Peter
, who was physician
to Charles II
, successfully petitioned the Bishop of Chester
for a new church and a burial ground. The new church was a chapel of ease
to the mother church at Beetham. The land for the church and burial ground were granted by the 8th Earl of Derby
. The church was consecrated
in June 1671 by the Bishop of Chester.
The height of the walls of the church was raised and a vestry
was added in 1768 by John Hird. Hird also added a screen at the east end of the church. In 1881 St Paul's became an independent parish church. The church was restored
in 1861, and was renovated in 1880. In 1891 the parish of Witherslack was joined with those of Meathop and Ulpha. There was a further amalgamation of parishes in 1973 when Witherslack joined with St Mary, Crosthwaite and St Anthony, Cartmel Fell
.
with ashlar
dressings and a slate
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
and a chancel
in a single chamber, a south porch and a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages. It has a west window of two round-headed lights in the bottom stage, two similar windows in the middle stage on the north and west sides, together with a square clock face on the south side with a single hand. In the top stage are two-light bell openings, with round heads and louvres
. At the summit of the tower is a projecting embattled
parapet
. Along both sides of the church are four round-arched three-light windows with straight heads. The south porch is gable
d, is surmounted by a ball finial
, and leads to a round-headed doorway into the church. There is a similar doorway between the first and second windows, above which is an inscribed plaque. On the north side of the church is a small window between the second and third larger windows. To the east of these is a small gabled vestry, with a pointed doorway on its west side and a three-light east window. The east window of the chancel consists of five stepped lights, above which is a round-headed window, and a ball finial on the apex of the gable.
columns and pilaster
s. The pulpit
was constructed in 1880, using material from a 17th-century three-decker pulpit. It has a sounding board
dated 1768. The small font
is in the shape of a baluster
, and dates from 1666. The reredos
of 1889 was designed by Paley, Austin and Paley. Also in the church are Royal arms
of 1710, and hatchment
s, including that of John Barwick. The stained glass in the east window includes the arms
of Barwick. Its design has been attributed to Henry Gyles of York
, and the window dates probably from 1671. In the church are monuments, including a tablet to John Barwick. Another monument is to a child who died aged two years, and includes a while marble
effigy
of a baby. There is also a memorial to the 16th Earl of Derby
who died in 1908. The single-manual
organ was built in 1878 by Brindley & Foster
.
dated 1757, carrying a plate dated 1671. It is constructed in ashlar
and stands on three square steps with a square base supporting a round column. The sundial is listed at Grade II. Also listed at Grade II are the gate piers
and overthrow
to the south of the church.
Witherslack
Witherslack is a small village and civil parish in the south of Cumbria. It lies on the north eastern side of Morecambe Bay, England. The eastern side of the village borders Whitbarrow Scar with Yewbarrow, which is a small limestone hill, located in the centre of the villageWitherslack is quite...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. The authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series describe it as "an almost perfect example of a plain Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
church of that date, honest and unpretentious".
History
The church was built between 1668 and 1669. It resulted from a bequest made by John BarwickJohn Barwick
John Barwick was an English royalist churchman and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.-Early life:He was born at Witherslack, in Westmorland. John was the third of five sons, and he and his brother Peter Barwick were the ones given an education. After time at local grammar schools John was sent to...
, dean of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, who died in 1664, to provide a burial place in the the village of his birth, rather than the dead having to be carried across the tidal estuary of the river Kent
River Kent
The River Kent is a short river in the county of Cumbria in England. The river originates in hills surrounding Kentmere, and flows for around 20 miles into the north of Morecambe Bay. The Lake District National Park includes the upper reaches of the river within its boundaries.The river passes...
for burial at St Michael's Church
St Michael's Church, Beetham
St Michael's Church, Beetham, stands in the village of Beetham, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle...
in Beetham
Beetham
Beetham is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated on the border with Lancashire. It is part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-Demography:The parish had a population of 1,724 recorded in the 2001 census,...
. There had previously been a church in the village dedicated to Saint Mary, but this was ruined in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. John Barwick's brother, Peter
Peter Barwick
-Life:He was the younger brother of John Barwick, and like him was educated at Sedbergh School, and St John's College, Cambridge, where he was a foundation scholar. He was appointed by Bishop Matthew Wren to the fellowship at St John's, in the gift of the Bishop of Ely, but could not be admitted...
, who was physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, successfully petitioned the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
for a new church and a burial ground. The new church was a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to the mother church at Beetham. The land for the church and burial ground were granted by the 8th Earl of Derby
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby , an English nobleman, was the only son of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte de La Trémouille....
. The church was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in June 1671 by the Bishop of Chester.
The height of the walls of the church was raised and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was added in 1768 by John Hird. Hird also added a screen at the east end of the church. In 1881 St Paul's became an independent parish church. The church was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1861, and was renovated in 1880. In 1891 the parish of Witherslack was joined with those of Meathop and Ulpha. There was a further amalgamation of parishes in 1973 when Witherslack joined with St Mary, Crosthwaite and St Anthony, Cartmel Fell
Cartmel Fell
Cartmel Fell is a hill, hamlet and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. The parish has a population of 309.St. Anthony's Church was built as a chapel of ease for Cartmel Priory in about 1504, and has changed little since...
.
Exterior
St Paul's is constructed in stone rubbleRubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings and a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in a single chamber, a south porch and a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages. It has a west window of two round-headed lights in the bottom stage, two similar windows in the middle stage on the north and west sides, together with a square clock face on the south side with a single hand. In the top stage are two-light bell openings, with round heads and louvres
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
. At the summit of the tower is a projecting embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. Along both sides of the church are four round-arched three-light windows with straight heads. The south porch is gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d, is surmounted by a ball finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
, and leads to a round-headed doorway into the church. There is a similar doorway between the first and second windows, above which is an inscribed plaque. On the north side of the church is a small window between the second and third larger windows. To the east of these is a small gabled vestry, with a pointed doorway on its west side and a three-light east window. The east window of the chancel consists of five stepped lights, above which is a round-headed window, and a ball finial on the apex of the gable.
Interior
The screen at the east end of the church contains two IonicIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns and pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was constructed in 1880, using material from a 17th-century three-decker pulpit. It has a sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
dated 1768. The small font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is in the shape of a baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
, and dates from 1666. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
of 1889 was designed by Paley, Austin and Paley. Also in the church are Royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of 1710, and hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s, including that of John Barwick. The stained glass in the east window includes the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Barwick. Its design has been attributed to Henry Gyles of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and the window dates probably from 1671. In the church are monuments, including a tablet to John Barwick. Another monument is to a child who died aged two years, and includes a while marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of a baby. There is also a memorial to the 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, PC , known as Frederick Stanley until 1886 and as Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886 and the sixth Governor General...
who died in 1908. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1878 by Brindley & Foster
Brindley & Foster
Brindley & Foster was a pipe organ builder based in Sheffield who flourished between 1854 and 1939.-Background:The business was established by Charles Brindley in 1854. He was joined by Albert Healey Foster in 1871 and the company acquired the name Brindley & Foster.Charles Brindley was born in...
.
External features
In the churchyard is a sundialSundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dated 1757, carrying a plate dated 1671. It is constructed in ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
and stands on three square steps with a square base supporting a round column. The sundial is listed at Grade II. Also listed at Grade II are the gate piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
and overthrow
Overthrow (structure)
In wrought ironwork, the overthrow, particularly popular in the Baroque era commencing in the 17th century, refers to the crowning section of ornamental wrought ironwork which forms a decorative crest above a wrought iron gate; the overthrow provides some stabilizing structure tying together...
to the south of the church.