Our Lady and St Joseph

Introduction

Our Lady and St Joseph in Carlisle was built in 1891-3 by Dunn, Hansom and Dunn of Newcastle.

History

The parish began in 1800 when Fr Joseph Marshall was appointed to raise a mission in Carlisle, with Mass celebrated in St Mary's Chapel, West Walls. A new church dedicated to St Mary and St Joseph was built on Chapel St in 1824.

The foundation stone was laid on 18 May 1891, on land belonging to the Duke of Devonshire. An earlier design for a church on this site by the same architects, dated 1877, was published.

The sacristies were enlarged in 1964, and the High Altar moved forward in 1970. In 1991 the main entrance to the Church was extended, and noticeboards were created at the side entrance.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of red sandstone ashlar with graduated greenslate roofs, in Perpendicular style. The east window of flowing tracery is based on the Bishop's Eye at Lincoln. The interior has an open timber vaulted roof with carved angel corbels. The tower has a statue of Our Lady within a cusped and pedimented porch.

The chancel has a carved wooden figure in an elaborately figured carved surround under a canopy against the east wall. The church contains late C19 and early C20 unsigned figurative stained glass in some windows. The aisles have traceried 3-light cusped-headed windows under flat arches, and the north aisle has broad and narrow interval buttresses. The 7-bay aisles have grouped and octagonal columns under pointed moulded arches.

The interior has a screened baptistry with an organ gallery projecting from the tower arch above. The church has open late C19 pine benches.

Parish life

The parish sustains the Catholic community of Carlisle and the surrounding towns and villages in their lives of faith. Saint Cuthbert’s, a primary school serving the parish since 1871, continues to serve the children of the locality. St Patrick’s school was founded in 1926 to educate the older children. From 1953 until 2008 the Priests of the parish also served the people of Saint Wulstan’s, Alston.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Priests and parishioners routinely visit the Cumberland Infirmary, Brampton Cottage Hospital, Eden Valley Hospice, Carleton Clinic and various care homes to bring the Sacraments to the sick.