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| The
Benefice of the Barony of Burgh - The Churches |
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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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. |
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St
Peter's - 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. |
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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 centred 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 programme 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 |
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