Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael

Introduction

The parish began in 1810 when the Benedictines established a chapel on land donated by the Curwen family.

History

Abbot Clifton served as parish priest from 1844 until 1891 and was the main inspiration for the church. In 1876 the present church was built to a design by E W Pugin, and the original chapel became Banklands church hall. The parish was staffed by Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey until 2009, when it was handed over to the Diocese of Lancaster.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is in Early English Gothic Revival style. The church is built of coursed squared red St Bees sandstone with ashlar dressings and a Westmoreland slate roof. The church has a transeptal plan with entrance at the south front, organ gallery, nave with attached baptistry, aisles, transepts, chancel with side chapels, and vestry. The church contains an elaborate pinnacled Caen stone reredos.

The nave arcade has deeply moulded arches carried on Goraghwood granite columns with Darley Dale gritstone capitals. An alabaster pulpit encircles the northernmost column of the west arcade. The baptistry has painted floral and foliage decoration with stencilled work to walls and ceiling. The church has an octagonal font with an elaborate painted timber cover standing on a patterned marble floor.

The church has a Hill organ and a baptistry inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. The church contains some alabaster reliefs dated from the early fifteenth century.

The church has a Hill organ installed in 1906. The organ was built by Dr Arthur Hill in 1906 and is recorded as 'Job 2334' in his work log. The organ was cleaned and renovated in 1953 by Hill, Norman & Beard. The organ carries an Historic Organ Certificate (2016) – Grade II*.

The church has stained glass windows depicting St Kentigern and St Cuthbert. The church has a wide S-light window with Geometrical tracery on the chancel gable. The church has an open arched roof with tie rods linking principal rafters. The church has a wide depressed arch with a C20 glazed screen supporting the organ gallery.

The church has a stellar boss supporting pulley supports for raising the font cover. The church has patterned encaustic floors to stepped surfaces within the chancel. The church has a south front with a steep gable and gabled bellcote. The church has a central double doorway with deeply moulded pointed arched head rising from curved quoining.

The church has a west elevation with 5 pairs of clerestory lancets with linking string course forming hoods to arched heads. The church has an east elevation with a tall transomed lancet to the chancel side wall. The church has a north elevation with a west chapel with lean-to roof and 3-light window to north end wall. The church has attached low flanking walls defining a stepped approach to the south front door.

The church has a double gateway with railed gates and gatepost with ball and vase finials on the east side. The church has square quoined gatepiers from which extend curved walls enclosing a semi-circular approach to the entrance pathway. The church has a 2-bay chancel with ribbed ceiling and tall pointed chancel arch. The church has a side wall with 2-bay arcades opening onto side chapels.

The church has a west aisle with a link to an octagonal baptistry, each facet with a lancet window and each angle with a shallow buttress. The church has a vestry with a flat roofed section linked to the west aisle, with a hipped roofed section further north attached to the west side chapel. The church was designed to celebrate Mass for the masses, with two confessionals on either side of the nave.

Parish life

The Stella Maris group was established to coordinate the restoration project of the church and its fundraising efforts. The parish of Christ the Good Shepherd was formed in 2012 and is made up of the Catholic churches of Our Lady Star of the Sea & St Michael's, St Gregory's and St Mary's. The parish serves the areas of Workington, Harrington and neighbouring villages. The parish is part of the Cumbrian Martyrs Deanery.

The parish has 40 Altar Servers across all age ranges. The parish's Open Door initiative received a grant from Cumbria Community Foundation's Warm Spots Fund. The parish held a series of meetings in each of its churches to respond to the Pope's call to participate in the Synod.