Newlands Church is a 16th-century church situated less than 500 metres west of the hamlet of
Little Town, Cumbria,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the
Newlands Valley
The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and ...
of the
Lake District. Its exact date of origin is unknown, but a map of 1576 shows a "Newlande Chap." on the site.
The church exterior presents white-washed
roughcast
Roughcast or pebbledash is a coarse plaster surface used on outside walls that consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown at the ...
walls and a green
slate roof; the interior displays two stained glass windows, a gallery, and a reading desk and a pulpit dated 1610. Tourists and
hillwalkers visit on their way to the fells. The church is a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
Location
The whitewashed roughcast Church of Newlands lies in open countryside some to the west of the hamlet of
Little Town, Cumbria,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
near the confluence of Newlands Beck, Scope Beck, and Keskadale Beck in the
Lake District National Park and by road from
Keswick. It is situated in the
Newlands Valley
The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and ...
, separated from
Derwent Water
Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria.
The lake occupies part of Borrowda ...
to the east by the summit of
Catbells. It is surrounded by the high mountains which encircle the head of the valley.
History
Origins
The exact date of the origin of Newlands Church is unknown, but is believed to be some time in the middle 16th century.
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton (c. 1540 – c. 1610) was an English cartographer who produced the first county maps of England and Wales.
Life and family
Saxton was probably born in Sowood, Ossett in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
’s map of 1576 shows a church on the site marked "Newlande Chap.".
[University of Portsmouth site.](_blank)
Shows copy of Saxton‘s map of 1576. The church was mentioned again in 1594 when John Mayson of the local farm Stoneycrofte left the sum of 3
s 4
d to Newlandes Chappell in his will. Due to the effects of the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pe ...
of 1558 the church did not have an
Incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
in its early years and it was not until 1610 that Anthony Bragg was installed as the church's first
Lay reader
In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral and teaching ...
. A Lay reader was an unqualified member of the clergy (usually a local person) who could read the services but could not perform christenings, marriages, or Communion, these duties being the bailiwick of the primary priest on his rounds of the valley. Nine Lay readers served the church until 1731, the longest serving being Thomas Birkhead (1654–1690) and John Atkinson (1690–1728).
Curacy
In 1731, Joseph Fisher was appointed the church's first
Curate and served until 1779. Newlands was one of the poorer clergy with an annual
stipend
A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work p ...
of £2 11s 7d, the lowest in the
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 11 April 1132 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Cumbric descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, who was the k ...
. The church received three payments of £200 under the laws of
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a scheme established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England, and by extension the organisation ("The Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the ...
in 1748, 1750 and 1757. Ten Curates served in Newlands until 1868. William Parsable served for 32 years (1794–1826), and was known as “Peppery Billy”. He also served as Headmaster at Crosthwaite School in nearby
Keswick, and was known for his quick temper and firm discipline which put fear into both the congregation and pupils.
Rebuilding
By the early years of the 1840s, the church was in a rundown state. John Monkhouse became Curate in 1840, and raised funds to rebuild the structure and to add a school. The school was built on the west side of the church at a cost £37 and opened in 1841. A modern plaque outside the school says it was built in 1877 but records confirm its construction in 1841. The rebuilding of the church cost £200 and included a new roof, new windows and an end wall. The height of the building was increased thereby, allowing for the construction of an upstairs Gallery.
1880s to present
In 1882, the church received its first
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
, A.C. Forbes, and, in 1885, further renovations were conducted with new pews, new flooring, and a heating system being installed. A slate plaque was put in the north wall to commemorate the re-opening by the
Bishop of Carlisle. The graveyard was extended in 1926. The school remained open until 1967 when the pupils were transferred to
Braithwaite
Braithwaite is a village in the northern Lake District, in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies just to the west of Keswick and to the east of the Grisedale Pike ridge, in the Borough of Allerdale. It forms part of the ...
Primary School. The school room fell into disrepair after closure, but was refurbished in the late 1990s and reopened on 9 April 2000 by the Bishop of Carlisle as a place for quiet reflection. Today, twice monthly Sunday services are conducted, and the church is open during the day for visitors and
hill walkers to call in as they pass on their way to the fells.
The church is a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
Interior
![Newlands Church interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Newlands_Church_interior.jpg)
At the east end of the church is a reader's desk and
pulpit which both date to 1610. The sandstone and wood
lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...
dates to 1937. The wooden top of the lectern can be removed to allow the sandstone plinth to be used as a baptismal font.
The stained glass east window by Abbot & Co. of
Lancaster dates to 1845, and was paid for by local residents to commemorate the rebuilding of the church. It displays Christ holding the wine and bread beneath the words, "I am the true vine, I am the living bread". A stained glass in the middle south wall window (the only other in the church) by
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was an English firm which produced stained-glass windows and art tiles.
History
The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire.
In 1868, control of Shrigley' ...
displays
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
in armour with a lion's head on his shoulder. The window is a memorial to Thomas Roscre Johnston, killed in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
A slate memorial in the north wall commemorates the re-opening of the church by the Bishop of Carlisle on 4 June 1885. There are memorials to benefactors Moses and Sarah Mawson of Emerald Bank, and to the Clark brothers (slain in action during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
). The offertory box near the door is a memorial to John Bulman. A large wooden armorial with the Royal Coat of Arms of George II, dated 1737, hangs on the south wall.
Literary connections
The poet
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
and his daughter
Dora visited Newlands Church in May 1826 while on a walking tour of the fells from
Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount is a house in the small village of Rydal, near Ambleside in the English Lake District. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth from 1813 to his death in 1850. It is currently operated as a writer's home museu ...
. Wordsworth was so impressed by his first glimpse of the church through half-opened leaves that he was prompted to write in his poem, "To May":
[Visit Cumbria site.](_blank)
Gives details of Wordsworth‘s visit to chapel.
:''"How delicate the leafy veil''
:''Through which yon house of God''
:''Gleams, mid the peace of this deep dale''
:''By few but shepherds trod!"''
Gives lyrics of the poem “To May”.
In the summer of 1901, children's author and illustrator
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was ...
was staying at nearby
Lingholm
Lingholm is a country house just outside Portinscale in Cumbria, England.
History
The house was built in 1871–1875 for Lt-Col James Fenton Greenall (1834–1899), of the Greenall brewing family, Commanding Officer of the 9th Lancashire Rifle ...
and often had the Vicar of Newlands Church and his family to tea. The vicar's young daughter Lucie Carr played with Potter's pet hedgehog during these visits and inspired the character of Lucie in ''
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle'' (1905). In the illustration of Lucie running along a path, Potter depicted the church in a grove of trees.
References
External links
360 degree panorama from Newlands Church
{{Beatrix Potter
Church of England church buildings in Cumbria
Tourist attractions in Cumbria
Grade II listed churches in Cumbria