St Paul's Church, Causewayhead

St Paul's was erected in 1845. The church cost £850 to build. The money was raised by the local parishioners (mainly the farmers) with financial assistance from the Church Building Society. The church was designed with seating accommodation for 357 worshippers. An inscription above the door within the porch tells us that all the pews are "free and unappropriated for ever".

Mannix & Whelan's Directory of Cumberland of 1847 describes the building as "a neat Gothic edifice" and tells us that the first "officiating minister" was the Reverend Isaac Bowman.  The living of St. Paul's was originally in the gift of the vicar of Holm Cultram and was worth £220 a year.

St. Paul's is built of red sandstone as in the Early English style. It has a south porch and a west facing turret containing one bell, which is used to summon people to worship. Inside, the church is beautifully simple, consisting of a chancel, nave and a small vestry.

In the period 1889-90 the church was renovated throughout and at this time a two manual organ was installed at a cost of £700 (an interesting comparison with the original cost of the church). The organ pipes are decorated in a similar fashion to those at Christ Church, Silloth.

The 1890s decor

The floor of the chancel is tiled, but the nave has a plain sandstone floor. The pews are raised up on wooden blocks. On either side, the east window is flanked by depictions of the Ten Commandments.

Bulmer's History and Directory of West Cumberland (1883) makes reference to the "many beautiful stained-glass windows, rich in scriptural symbolism". The splendid east window is in triple form and portrays at its centre St. Paul, in medallions, the symbols of the four evangelists. The window is by John Scott of Carlisle and dates from 1852. It commemorates John Messenger of East Cote, "a zealous promoter of the building of the church".

In the sanctuary, the north and south windows are lozenge quarries with various motifs (the artist is not identified). On the south wall of the nave: Christ the Sower (unsigned, but thought to be the work of John Scott); the window is in memory of Ann and George Bailiffe-Bowman. 

The second window in the nave is in memory of Dr Hugh Hutton (1911-1996) a much respected physician in Silloth for many years and a staunch supporter of St. Paul's. The window was commissioned by his widow and is the work of the artist Peter Strong.

The third window in the nave depicts - in a medallion - Christ giving sight to a blind man. It is the work of John Scott and it was created in memory of Betty Messenger, who died in June 1864. Completing the array of windows in the nave, comes the fourth which has two lights. These depict St. Mark and Christ the Light of the World. The artist is G.J. Baguely. The window was given by Canon Robert Walker and his wife Margaret Elizabeth in 1903.

In the west wall, the first window portrays St. Andrew and it is the work of Powell Bros. of Leeds, Installed in 1889 the window commemorates Henry Thomas Tandy who died in July 1894. The second depicts - in a medallion - Christ as a boy in the carpenter's shop. The window is in memory of John Albert Redford with the date June 1863 and is by John Scott.

Continuing on the north wall of the nave, the first window features - in a medallion - Christ and the daughter of Jairus, the daughter who "was not dead, but sleepeth" whose "spirit came again". The window is in memory of John Holliday, who died in January 1864, the work of John Scott. The second window from the west, also by John Scott shows - in a medallion - Christ blessing the children. The window is a memorial to J Hayton and is dated 1853. The third window portrays the Figure of Hope. It is in memory of John Henry Wise and is the work of G.J. Bagueley.

The communion table in the sanctuary was provided by Molly and Jake Tomlinson, upon their retirement from farming in 1970. 

Rev Redford's observations

The oak lectern was presented by Mr C E Boyd in memory of the Reverend Francis Redford the first curate of St. Paul's in around 1850 and subsequently its rector. He was largely responsible for Silloth's reputation as a health resort. He published his observations of its meteorological features, rainfall, hours of sunshine, prevalent winds and the amount of 'ozone' in the air, claiming the area had a similar climate to the Isle of Wight.

Causewayhead rectory was built around 1851 "in the Elizabethan style". Cannon Robert Walker lived there as  rector from 1898 until 1936, he had six children. His daughter, Gladys, married the Rev. Hodges, who was vicar of Allonby between 1932 and 1946. Two of his sons were army officers and served in the first world war. 

Canon Walker with three of his sons.

For forty years, the organist at St. Paul's was "Blind Tommy" Foster. He lost his sight when he was only three months old but was a talented musician. He played all the hymns and psalms from memory and had a wide repertoire of classical pieces such as the 'Te Deum' and Mozart's 'Exulate Jubilate'.

Causewayhead Mission was built in the late 1800s as a Sunday School with a reading room and library attached. It has now been converted into two private houses.

In 1892 a large piece of land for burial purposes was donated by the Earl of Lonsdale. Consecrated in 1893 this land forms the cemetery opposite St. Paul's churchyard and is under the authority of Allerdale Borough Council. Here are many graves of young airmen who died while stationed at Silloth during the Second World War.

The churchyard is now "closed" and is also in the care of Allerdale Council.

In 1949 the parish of St. Paul's was united with Christ Church, Silloth and services at Causewayhead were finally suspended on 15 May 2016.

Reverend Canon Bryan Rothwell told the Cumberland News that over recent years, it has become more difficult to maintain two buildings in the parish, it was no longer viable because of the number of people attending and the finances involved. "It's been something that has been discussed over many years with the congregation and we have come to the decision that now was the right time to say goodbye to the church" he said.  If the Church Commissioners agree to make the church redundant then the local diocese will take over responsibility for the building and try and find alternative usage or potentially sell it.

Sources: "A Short History of St Paul's Church" by John Gray, formally available as a guide for visitors to the church. Other material and pictures from Holme St Cuthbert History Group.
Photography by Gordon Akitt, Copyright 2017.