There has been a church on the site (see) since Norman times. The church has been rebuilt twice, firstly in 1634, and then early in the nineteenth century an increasing population led to a decision to enlarge it and a new chancel was built in 1825.
In 1884, though, it was discovered that the walls and roof of the nave were in an unsound condition and it was agreed to pull down to the level of the window sill and rebuild. When the work was in hand it was found that the walls had no foundations, so they were completely demolished and the church rebuilt with foundations, retaining the outline of the old church.
This presumably corrected a reported aesthetic problem with the new chancel referred to in document dating from 1847. The chancel was 'singularly out of character, being raised considerably higher than the nave'. You can see the raised chancel in the picture bove.
Due to a shortage of money the tower was not rebuilt until 1907, and the whole of the east side of the old tower was preserved, including the Norman doorway into the nave. The tower is now a grade II listed building. The above photograph dates from before 1907 and shows the church before the tower was rebuilt. Below is the second of these 'before and after' snaps, and shows the church after its 1907 makeover.
In these pictures the gravestones in the churchyard can be seen. In 1974 the old churchyard around the church was levelled and transformed into a pleasant garden which is maintained by Allerdale District Council. The results can be seen partly in the photograph of the church on our home page.
Recent Photos
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