St James Church of England, Barrow in Furness

The church does not have a graveyard.

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It was founded in 1867 and consecrated Whit Sunday 1869; It was the second Anglican church to be built in the town. It was badly damaged in an air raid in May 1941, but re-opened 28 March 1943. It has been extensively restored in the 1990s.

St. James's Church. The rapid increase in the size of the town soon rendered necessary more church accommodation, and to meet this want Hindpool was formed into a separate parish and the church erected. It was consecrated on Whit-Tuesday, 1869, and dedicated to St. James. It is a spacious building, capable of accommodating 1,000 worshippers, and all the seats are free and unappropriated. The entire length of the church is 128 feet, and the breadth 60 feet, whilst the fine tapering spire rises to the height of 150 feet. Although of the same Geometric Gothic style, its appearance is far from being as picturesqute as St. George's ; the materials used are brick for the main walls, and stone for the windows and pillars. The church was built and partly endowed by the chief landed proprietors of the neighbourhood, and possesses a beautiful organ, built by Messrs. Hill and Son, of London, for the Chapel Royal, by command of William IV. The organist is Ed. Brown, Esq., Mns. Bac., Oxon. At the west end of the church are the seats appropriated to the Corporation and civic authorities, which are used on all public occasions. Along each side of the chancel are the stalls occupied by members of the surpliced choir, and the interior is chastely and appropriately decorated. The floor is of tesselated tile work; and on the sides of the apse are three richly-stained windows, divided into compartments, each containing a well-executed representation of some striking incident in the life of our Lord.   The one on the north side was the gift of W. Gradwell, Esq. ; the centre one was presented by Sir James Ramsden ; and that on the south by the parishioners. In the west end is a window gorgeously coloured, inserted to the memory of T. G. Edwards, Esq., of Liverpool.   In the lower compartments are representations of the seven corporal works of. mercy ; above are beautiful illustrations of the following expressions of Christ, " Come to Me all you that labour, and are heavily laden, and I will refresh you;" and " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but for yourselves and your children."   Three additional stained glass windows were unveiled on the Feast of St. James, 1881.   Two of these are on the north side, and represent the Marriage of Cana of Gallilee and the Feeding of the Five Thousand ; and the third on the west end portrays Christ Blessing Little Children.   This window was purchased by the subscriptions of the children of the parish.   The pulpit and font are beautiful pieces of work, carved out of Derbyshire alabaster, and relieved by small columns of green marble.   A peal of eight bells, purchased by subscription, was placed in the tower in 1877, at a cost of £750. The living is styled a vicarage, and is worth £320.   The Rev. R. P. Manclarke, M.A., was the first vicar, on whose resignation in 1878 the Rev. T. W. Bray, M.A., was presented by the trustees, and now holds the incumbency.   This is the largest and only parish in the town which does not possess a vicarage. A grant of £200 has been promised by the Carlisle Extension Society towards the erection of a parsonage, and it is to be hoped the necessary funds will shortly be provided. Attached to the church are large and commodious schools, with accommodation for 800 children. The internal arrangements are very effective, and the schools hold a deservedly high place among the educational establishments of the diocese.   They were built at the expense of H. W. Schneider, Esq., and opened in 1867.   Mr. Bowker is the present head master, and Mrs. Hague and Miss Bennett head mistresses of the Girls' and Infants' respectively.

from Mannex's directory of Furness & Cartmel, 1882

Whilst every effort has been made to record exact details of record office and library holdings you are recommended to check with them before visiting to ensure that they do hold the records and years you wish to examine. Similarly check with transcript publishers to ensure they cover the records and years you require before making a purchase.

The Cumbria Record Office, Barrow hold:

• Baptisms 1867-1976
• Marriages 1869-1994
• Banns 1886-1993

This site provides historical information about churches, other places of worship and cemeteries. It has no connection with the churches themselves. For current information you should contact them directly.

It is located at SD1943069950 (Lat/Lon 54.119078, -3.234155). You can see this on maps provided by:

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