Revd. Katharine Butterfield
Our church is always open
We are an old village Church right in the centre of our community – a church for the whole community. We have a reputation for offering a very friendly welcome to all. There are services in our church virtually every Sunday, ranging from Holy Communion to Parish led services. As we have WiFi in church we also ‘live stream’ some services around the villages. We have a home Bible Study Group (Food for Thought) which is held in the village during the year (Contact Veronica Priest 07947 071539) and other ‘special day’ services such as Mother’s Day service sometimes held in the village hall or even outside services when the weather is right. Friday morning prayers of blessing for our community at 9am, are held in the churchyard in good weather, or in the vestry if raining.
Most importantly, we are an ‘open church’. Our door is never locked. We have a toilet and a small kitchenette where you will find tea/coffee/milk/sugar – please feel free to use the facilities. As we have no steps or steep slopes into church we are very accessible.
St Cuthbert’s, as one of Cumbria’s oldest churches, has a huge history. The first building was probably built about AD 880, one of forty marking the resting-places of the body of St. Cuthbert as it was carried away from Holy Island by monks fleeing from the invading Danes. The current building was erected around 1060. The broad and massive fortified tower, with heavily studded iron door was erected in 1380 as a place of refuge from marauding raiders. We have a peal of six bells (1882) in the tower and the clock was added in 1892; we also have a fine church organ made and installed by Harrison & Harrison of Durham in 1889.
Peter Pickthall 07802 780620
Veronica Priest 07947 071539
