St Paul, Irton is an active

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the civil parish of Irton with Santon,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England. It is in the Calder Deanery of the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

diocese of Carlisle In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

and is part of the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Black Combe, Drigg, Eskdale, Irton, Muncaster and Waberthwaite. It stands in a commanding position on the low ridge between Wasdale and Eskdale, and the noted 9th century Anglo-Saxon cross testifies to a long history of it being a Christian site. The church is a Grade II*

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

St Paul's church was founded by

Augustinian monks Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo *Canons Regular of Saint ...

in the 13th century. It was rebuilt and consecrated in 1865, designed by

Miles Thompson Miles Thompson (born December 8, 1990) is a Haudenosaunee professional lacrosse player from the Hawk Clan of the Onondaga Nation. He played for the University at Albany in NCAA Division I college lacrosse and plays for the Georgia Swarm in the ...

of Kendal using the old church's original stone and wood. The chancel was extended in 1872 to designs by William White. Further extensions and renovations were carried out in 1887 to commemorate the

Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...

, including the building of the present double-hammer-beam roof.

Architecture

It is roughcast with sandstone dressings, with a slate roof and terra-cotta ridge tiles. The interior space comprises a 4-bay nave with a castellated west tower and turret. There is a 3-bay chancel with adjoining vestry. The church floor is tiled with Minton

Encaustic tile Encaustic or inlaid tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colours but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern ...

s. The stone font has 4 marble shafts supporting circular bowl with evangelist symbols carved on panels at cardinal points. The octagonal wooden pulpit has arcaded, openwork sides. The pipe organ is decorated with ''

Fleur-de-lis The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

''. The pews are fixed and have

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

s carved into the ends.

Stained glass

There are two notable Pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows, each of two lights, made by

Morris & Co Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861–1875) was a furniture, furnishings and decorative arts manufacturer and retailer founded by the artist and designer William Morris with friends from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Pre-Raphaelites. With ...

, and installed at the time of church improvements for the Golden Jubilee of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1887. Sir Edward Burne-Jones designed

St Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, the

Tiburtine Sibyl The Tiburtine Sibyl or Albunea was a Roman sibyl, whose seat was the ancient Etruscan town of Tibur (modern Tivoli). The mythic meeting of Augustus with the Sibyl, of whom he inquired whether he should be worshiped as a god, was often depic ...

, and St Agnes with a lamb, and

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

himself designed

St Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess a ...

. They were the gift of Major Lutwidge and Sir Thomas Brocklebank. "A most high-handed proceeding", Paul Pharaoh, 2022. Pub Bookcase, Carlisle. ISBN 978-1-912181-55-1 File:Irton church - st paul & the sybil.jpg, ''Left ''- St Paul,'' right ''- the Tiburtine Sybil. 1887. File:Bellringers 003.jpg, ''Left'' -St Agnes of Rome and ''right'' - Catherine of Alexandria. 1887.

Memorials

There are memorials to various members of the Brocklebank family, and the Lutwidge family. The memorial to Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge is particularly interesting. He commanded

HMS Carcass Three ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Carcass'', named after the carcass, an early form of incendiary bomb or shell: * was an 8-gun bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden saili ...

on the

1773 Phipps expedition towards the North Pole The 1773 Phipps expedition towards the North Pole was a British Royal Navy expedition suggested by the Royal Society and especially its vice president Daines Barrington, who believed in an ice-free Open Polar Sea. Two bomb vessels, and , were mo ...

, with a young

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

on board. During the expedition Nelson had seen and given chase to a polar bear on the ice, but was ordered back from this dangerous pursuit by Lutwidge. A plaque by the font is in memory of another Lutwidge: Robert Wilfred Skeffington-Lutwidge, who was a commissioner in lunacy. The plaque tells the tragic tale of how he died after being hit on the head by a lunatic. There are several decorative wall plates dating up to the 20th century executed by Morris & Co.

Bells

The tower contains a ring of eight bells, hung for ringing in the English full-circle style and given by Sir Thomas Brocklebank, a local shipping magnate. They were cast in 1887 by John Warner and Sons of Cripplegate, London. The bells are rung from the ground floor, and there is a fine wrought iron scroll work screen separating the ringing chamber from the nave. The tenor weighs 16–1–25 (837 kg) and is tuned to E natural.

Irton Cross

In the churchyard is Irton Cross, an important

Anglo-Saxon cross Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman ...

dating from the early 9th century. It lies chronologically between the

Bewcastle Cross The Bewcastle Cross is an Anglo-Saxon cross which is still in its original position within the churchyard of St Cuthbert's church at Bewcastle, in the English county of Cumbria. The cross, which probably dates from the 7th or early 8th centu ...

and the

Gosforth cross The Gosforth Cross is a large stone monument in St Mary's churchyard at Gosforth in the English county of Cumbria, dating to the first half of the 10th century AD. Formerly part of the kingdom of Northumbria, the area was settled by Scandinavi ...

but has greater affinity with the earlier Anglo-Roman style of Bewcastle. Pevsner describes this as one of the most important crosses in Cumberland. A cast replica of the cross can be seen at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London.

Churchyard

The churchyard has approximately 100 grave memorials and a further 100 in an adjacent cemetery, including one Commonwealth War Grave

References

Media

Video of the bells being rung
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irton, St Paul Church of England church buildings in Cumbria Diocese of Carlisle