Church of St Olaf, Wasdale

Last updated March 20, 2019

Coordinates: 54°28′02″N3°15′13″W / 54.4671°N 3.2535°W / 54.4671; -3.2535

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Wasdale Head is a scattered agricultural hamlet in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Wasdale Head claims to be home of the highest mountain, deepest lake (Wastwater), smallest church and biggest liar in England. The last of these claims refers to Will Ritson, who paradoxically proclaimed himself as such.

Cumbria is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's county town is Carlisle, in the north of the county, and the only other major urban area is Barrow-in-Furness on the southwestern tip of the county.

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

History

The church was dedicated to St Olaf in 1977, before which it had no name. The parson of that time, the Reverend Raymond Bowers, had friends in Norway, and it was he who suggested the name. One of the current churchwardens, Bill Bailey, has written a guide to the church and the Wasdale valley: The Vikings: Wasdale Head and Their Church. The book sought to clarify the age of the church; and to mark the 2nd millennium the Bishop of Penrith, the Right Reverend Richard Garrard, made a unilateral declaration—on the Sunday nearest the Feast of St Olaf, 30 July 2000—that the church building was at least 1,000 years old, dating from before AD 1000. At the same time, the bishop dedicated a "millennium stone" on the Wasdale Head Green, using the stone as an altar for the service.

Olaf II Haraldsson, later known as St. Olaf, was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised at Nidaros (Trondheim) by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. His remains were enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral, built over his burial site. His sainthood encouraged the widespread adoption of the Christian religion among the Vikings / Norsemen in Scandinavia.

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northwestern Europe whose territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula; the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard are also part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land.

The Bishop of Penrith is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Penrith in Cumbria.

The church has long been associated with British climbers. The south window has a small pane within it with an etching of Napes Needle on Great Gable. A well-attended silence is kept every year on Remembrance Sunday at 11 AM.

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep object. It is done for locomotion, recreation and competition, in trades that rely on it, and in emergency rescue and military operations. It is done indoors and out, on natural and man-made structures.

Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named for its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit. Great Gable is linked by the high pass of Windy Gap to its smaller sister hill, Green Gable, and by the lower pass of Beck Head to its western neighbour, Kirk Fell.

Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day "to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts". It is held at 11 a.m. on the second Sunday in November.

The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[1] The parish of Wasdale Head is within the Calder deanery of the Diocese of Carlisle.^[2]

The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England’s official list of buildings, monuments, parks and gardens, wrecks, battlefields and World Heritage Sites. It is maintained by Historic England and brings together these different designations as a single resource even though they vary in the type of legal protection afforded to each. Conservation areas do not appear on the NHLE since they are designated by the relevant local planning authority.

The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, who was the king's confessor and became prior of the Augustinian priory at Nostell in Yorkshire. Carlisle was thus the only cathedral in England to be run by Augustinians instead of Benedictines. This only lasted until the reign of Henry III however, when the Augustinians in Carlisle joined the rebels who temporarily handed the city over to Scotland and elected their own bishop. When the revolt was ended, the Augustinians were expelled.

The church is part of the Benefice of St. Mary, Gosforth; St. Michael & All Angels, Nether Wasdale; and St Olaf, Wasdale Head. The Parish Priest for the Benefice of Gosforth is John Riley, assisted by his ordained wife, Lesley. Retired Priest Gavin Walker acts as Chaplain for Wasdale and Hannah Norris is Lay Pastoral Minister. Mr Bill Bailey and Hannah Norris are also members of the Parochial Church Council at Wasdale Head. The deputy churchwarden is Andrew Lopez, part of a local farming family in Wasdale.

St Mary's Church in the village of Gosforth, Cumbria, England, is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Calder, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Olaf, Wasdale Head, and St Michael, Nether Wasdale. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is associated with "a unique Viking-age assemblage" of carved stones.

Visitor information

The church is open to visitors in the daytime. As well as a Visitors Book at the back of the church, a Prayer Book is kept near the front where Prayer Requests may be written. The Book is read by ministera once weekly during the summer months (monthly during the winter), and people and situations are then prayed for. These are usually also included at the next Service. Services are held at major festivals such as Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, and most Sundays throughout British Summer Time. Notice of any other Services are displayed on the Hymn Board in the church, as well as on the weekly Notice Sheet and the monthly Church Magazine is available in any of the Churches in the Benefice.

Related Research Articles

The Gosforth Cross is a large stone Anglo-Saxon cross, in St Mary's churchyard at Gosforth in the English county of Cumbria, dating to the first half of the 10th century AD. Formerly part of the kingdom of Northumbria, the area was settled by Scandinavians some time in either the 9th or 10th century. It has gained reputation for its combination of Christian symbols with nordic symbols, being a tangible piece of evidence of the impact of the Christianization of Scandinavia.

Gosforth is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Lake District, in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it is situated on the A595 road between Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness. It has a population of 1,230, increasing to 1,396 at the 2011 Census. Adjacent settlements include Whitehaven, Egremont, Ravenglass and Wasdale. It is close to Wastwater, the deepest lake in England, and just a 7-minute drive from Seascale village and beach. The Cumbrian Coast railway can be accessed at Seascale.

Trinity Cheltenham is an evangelical, charismatic Anglican church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As well as being part of the Church of England, it is a major contributor to the New Wine network. The Church has around 1000 members, making it one of the largest churches in the UK. A recent article cited it as the 11th largest church in Britain.

Nether Wasdale is a village in Cumbria, England, located in the Wasdale valley, near the River Irt and just over a mile to the west of the Wastwater lake.

Psalm 121 is the 121st psalm from the Book of Psalms. It is one of 15 psalms categorized as "A song of ascents", although unlike the others, it begins, Shir LaMa'alot. In the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in its Latin translation in the Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 120 in a slightly different numbering system.

Grange Fell Church commonly referred to by locals as the Fell Church is a Church of England church in the Grange Fell area of Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England. It was built in 1907. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Allithwaite, St Mary and St Michael, Cartmel, St Peter, Field Broughton, St John the Baptist, Flookburgh, St Paul, Grange-over-Sands, and St Paul, Lindale, to form the benefice of Cartmel Peninsula.

St Paul's Church is in Crown Hill, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Allithwiate, St Mary and St Michael, Cartmel, St Peter, Field Broughton, St John the Baptist, Flookburgh, Grange Fell Church, Grange-Over-Sands, and St Paul, Lindale, to form the benefice of Cartmel Peninsula. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

St James' Church is in the village of Great Ormside, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Lawrence, Appleby, St John the Baptist, Murton, St Peter, Great Asby, St Cuthbert, Dufton, and St Margaret and St James, Long Marton to form the Heart of Eden benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It stands on top of a circular mound overlooking the River Eden.

St Michael and All Angels Church is in the village of Hawkshead, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of four local parishes to form the Benefice of Hawkshead with Low Wray and Sawrey and Rusland and Satterthwaite. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Hyde and Pevsner, in the Buildings of England series, describe it as being "one of the best Lake District churches".

Wythburn Church is located in an isolated position by the A591 road on the east bank of Thirlmere, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican church in the deanery of Derwent, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Threlkeld, and St John, St John's in the Vale. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The poet William Wordsworth described it as a "modest house of prayer".

St James Church, Hayton, Cumbria is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle. The church dates from the 19th century.

Irton with Santon is a civil parish in Copeland, Cumbria, England, which includes the village of Santon Bridge. It has a parish council. In the 2011 census it was recorded as having a population of 316.

References

↑ Historic England, "Church of Olav, Wasdale (1086640)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 4 August 2016
↑ "The Parish of Wasdale Head". Diocese of Carlisle. Retrieved 2009-03-24.

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[1] Historic England, "Church of Olav, Wasdale (1086640)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 4 August 2016

[2] "The Parish of Wasdale Head". Diocese of Carlisle. Retrieved 2009-03-24.