St Catherine's Church is in the village of
Boot in the English county of
Cumbria. It is the
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
parish church for
Eskdale, and is in the deanery of Calder, the
archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the
diocese of Carlisle. Its
benefice is united with those of Irton, St Paul,
Muncaster, St Michael, and
St John, Waberthwaite.
The church stands by the side of the
River Esk, some to the south of the centre of the village. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
History
A church has been on the site since the 6th century.[ Local legend says that a 7th-century hermit lived near the church and established a holy well on Arment Hill; the same well is still used to draw water for baptisms.][ It was restored in 1881 by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. They reseated the church, increasing its accommodation to 126, and added a vestry, at a cost of £750 (equivalent to £ in ).
In the churchyard is a gravestone commemorating Thomas Dobson (died 1910), who was master of the Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhounds for 53 years. Known as the "Huntsman's Grave", the stone is carved with Dobson's huntsman's horn and two projecting heads, one of a fox and one of a hunting dog.]
Architecture
Exterior
St Catherine's is constructed in random rubble. It has a slate roof with a stone ridge. The church has a simple plan, consisting of a single cell in four bays, and a south porch. At the west end is a gabled double bellcote, and there is a cross on the apex of the east end. The side windows are mainly 19th-century replacements of earlier windows, and are mullioned.[ The east window has three lights and contains Decorated-style tracery.]
Interior
Inside the church is an octagonal font; its bowl has low-relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
carving on each face. On the south wall of the church is a benefactors' board dated 1798.[ All the stained glass dates from between 1889 and 1896. The glass in the east and west windows is by Gibbs and Company, and that on the north and south sides is by A. Savell and Company.][ The glass in the east window depicts Saint Catherine, the Good Shepherd, and ]Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...
. Windows on the south side of the church depict the Annunciation
The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...
, and on the north side the Last Supper.
See also
* Listed buildings in Eskdale, Cumbria
* List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boot, St Catherine's Church
Diocese of Carlisle
Church of England church buildings in Cumbria
Grade II listed churches in Cumbria
Paley and Austin buildings
English Gothic architecture in Cumbria