St John the Evangelist's Church, Cowgill

St John the Evangelist's Church, Cowgill
St John the Evangelist's Church seen from the southeast
St John the Evangelist's Church, Cowgill Location in Cumbria
54°16′39″N2°22′34″W / 54.27757°N 2.37621°W / 54.27757; -2.37621
OS grid reference	SD756869
Location	Cowgill, Cumbria
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	30 June 1837
Dedication	St John the Evangelist
Consecrated	31 October 1838
Associated people	Adam Sedgwick
Architecture
Functional status	active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	14 June 1984
Architect(s)	Edmund Sharpe
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1838
Specifications
Materials	sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	Diocese of Carlisle
Archdeaconry	Westmorland and Furness
Deanery	Kendal
Parish	Dent with Cowgill and Western Dales Mission Community
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Andrew Burgess (2022 - ) Revd Andy McMullon (2020) Revd Peter John Boyles (1999 - 2017)

St John the Evangelist's Church is the Church of England parish church of the village of Cowgill, Cumbria, England. It is in the deanery of Kendal, the Archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the Diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with that of St Andrew, Dent. ^[1]

The church is a Grade II listed building. ^[2]

History

The church was built in 1837–38, and has previously been known as Kirkthwaite Chapel, and Cowgill Chapel. ^[2] It was designed by the Lancaster architect Edmund Sharpe.^{[ citation needed ]} Its design is similar to that of Holy Trinity Church, Howgill, which dates from the same period. The foundation stone was laid on 30 June 1837 by Adam Sedgwick, Professor of Geology at Cambridge University. The church was consecrated on 31 October 1838 by the Bishop of Ripon. ^[3] It provided seating for 250 people. ^[4] The Church of England Commissioners transferred the parish to the Diocese of Carlisle in 2012.

Architecture

St John's is built of coursed sandstone rubble with slate roofs. Its architectural style is Early English. It has a six-bay nave, a single-bay chancel with a vestry to the north, a south porch, and a bellcote at the west end. Each bay has a lancet window, and there are buttresses between the bays. On the south side of the church is a wooden gabled porch. The bellcote has wooden louvres, and a steep pyramidal roof surmounted by a weathervane. At the gabled west end of the church is a central buttress flanked by lancets, above which is an oculus. The east window is a stepped triple-lancet. Inside the church are wall memorials to members of the Elam family and others. ^[2] The single-manual organ was built by T Hopkins and Son. ^[5]

External features

The wrought iron gates and the sandstone gate piers to the churchyard, dating probably from 1838, are also Grade II listed. ^[6]

See also

• Cumbria portal

• Listed buildings in Dent, Cumbria
• List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe

References

1. Archbishops' Council. "Cowgill: St John the Evangelist, Cowgill". A Church Near You . Church of England . Retrieved 25 July 2011.
2. Historic England. "Church of St John the Evangelist (Grade II) (1383834)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 May 2012.
3. Hughes, John M (2010). Edmund Sharpe: Man of Lancaster. John M Hughes. p. 133.
4. Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012). The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin. Swindon: English Heritage. p. 210. ISBN   978-1-84802-049-8.
5. "Yorkshire, West Riding (Cumbria), Cowgill, St. John the Evangelist (D01801)". British Institute of Organ Studies . Retrieved 25 July 2011.
6. Historic England. "Gates and gate piers to churchyard of Church of St John the Evangelist, Dent (Grade II) (1383835)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 May 2012.