The Churches of the Barony of Burgh

St Andrews - Aikton

The church of St Andrew stands high in a lovely rural setting, and is approached through a novel kissing gate made from two large slabs of stone, supported by a stone post. The light airy uncluttered church has an nave and chancel from the original 12th Century building, and is a fine piece of Norman architecture. The south aisle was added  in 1869 when the roof timbers were also exposed.

St Mary’s - Beaumont

St Mary’s Church at Beaumont was constructed in the late 12th century from stones provided by the nearby Hadrian’s  wall. The church was restored in 1872. The single chamber  is still mostly of the earlier period, notably the south  doorway and three east windows. The windows, porch and vestry are 19th century restorations. The roof dates from the 15th century.

St. Michaels - Burgh by Sands

St Michael's Church was built within the Roman fort on Hadrian's  Wall. It occupies the probable site of one of the central  buildings in the fort - probably the granary. Much of the stone used to build the Church came from the fort, or from the wall. Although the dedication of the church  goes back to the 12th century, the date of the present  building is not known. The church was restored in 1881. The  tower to the west of the church is thought to be from the the 14th century and was fortified so it could be used as a place of refuge during the frequent raids from the Borderlands. It was built with no door to the outside  and only small windows and slits to enable arrows to be  fired. At the other end of the church a fortified house  was built for the use of the vicar.

St. Kentigerns - Grinsdale

St Kentigern's church was built in 1740 outside the village of Grinsdale, and just above the River Eden, on the site  where a 12th century church once stood. It has a small west tower, a three bay nave, and a two bay chancel with arched windows. The church was restored in 1895.
 

St. Giles - Great Orton

The  church of St Giles at Great Orton was built in 1098. Much of the original Norman architecture has been retained, with some restoration taking place in Victorian times,  and again the 1980's.
St Giles is the patron saint of cripples, and his church in Cripplegate, London, is well known. A local legend tells how a white deer fled to his protection while being  hunted by a king. An arrow, intended for the doe, pierced  the saint's head, for which the king later apologized.
A stained glass window in the South wall shows St Giles  sheltering the Doe, who provided him with milk to drink, from hunters led by King Flavius (by Millican, Baguley  and Atkinson 1955). At some time the church was dedicated to St Kentigern, which may explain why there is a window  in the North wall depicting St Kentigern (by Clayton and Bell). The East window is of the Crucifixion, by Powell Bros of Leeds.

St. Peters - Kirkbampton

The  Parish Church of Kirkbampton is dedicated to St Peter,  and is an ancient Norman structure and a Grade I listed  building, of typical Cumbrian character.
The Chancel Arch and the North doorway are original and  this defines the outlines of the original building. A Roman stone found in the walls during restoration work in 1870-1871 is now built into the South wall of the chancel.  and was probably brought from the nearby Roman Wall.

The Chapel - Thurstonfield

Although the chapel is not technically part of the Benefice (being Methodist) it was felt that it should be included in this  section because:
a. The provision of the Sunday School  is used by the children local to Kirkbampton, Thurstonfield  etc and
b. There is no mention (that I can find) of the Chapel on any other web site.
In September 1861 on land purchased for the sum of £5  from Mr Thomas Stordy, a farmer, a Methodist Chapel was built, attached to the Wesleyan Circuit centered on Carlisle.
Most of the Trustees then were not recognisable names  from the local community, but like the Minister lived elsewhere.
For the Golden Jubilee in 1911 the Vestry/Sunday School  room was built at a cost of £79. Electricity was  connected to the Chapel in 1935.
A new larger entrance porch was built in 1994 and mains  water connected in 1996.
In 1998/99 a program of updating the interior of the chapel was undertaken. Disabled toilet facilities were  installed and the vestry extended to provide a servery.  The wooden pews were replaced with upholstered chairs and the floor was carpeted throughout.
Until 1998 access to the Chapel from the main road was via a cinder track without street lighting. As part of the housing development at Chapelfield, next to the Chapel,  a new road was laid and street lighting installed.
Thurstonfield Chapel is part of the Carlisle Methodist Circuit and, whilst changes have taken place inside the  building and its surroundings, God has not changed. The Chapel continues to serve the community through its various activities.
Thanks to George Denholm for this information