Christ Church

Anglican church, 1872 to designs of Charles Eaglesfield. Early English style.

MATERIALS: rusticated local red sandstone with ashlar dressings; pitched and pyramidal roofs of alternating fish-scale and plain Welsh slate.

PLAN: the church is oriented roughly north to south, but the following description follows conventional liturgical orientation. It has a nave with an apsidal chancel, south aisle, west tower and spire, and a north-east vestry.

EXTERIOR: the church is situated in a prominent location on the harbourside, with its liturgical west end facing the harbour. There are moulded eaves cornices and a coped plinth to the nave, south aisle and the west end, and the tower stages are separated by ashlar bands. Roofs have decorative terracotta ridge tiles and finials.

The chancel has a semi-circular apse pierced by six lancets, and a semi-pyramidal roof. The north wall of the nave has three plate-tracery windows, one single and two paired lancets, and the chancel is obscured by a double-height vestry with a lean-to roof. The south aisle comprises a full-height gabled end bay with a three-light plate-tracery window pierced with foils, and two sets of paired lancets to the left. The three-stage west tower contains the south entrance which is designed to resemble a tall plate-tracery window with a moulded surround terminating in head stops. It has a circular motif to the apex, containing a recessed blind quatrefoil, and paired shoulder-arched doorways below. There is a single lancet to the ground floor west face; all faces of the first stage have a band of three circular windows described in Pevsner as ‘port-holes’, and all faces of the second stage have paired louvered belfry windows. The broach spire has a clock face to each of the four sides, set within gabled frames, and terminates in a cross finial. The gabled west end of the nave has a triple-stepped lancet window, with a circular opening containing a cinquefoil window to the apex and a cross finial to the ridge.

INTERIOR: the trusses of the collar-tie-truss roof structure with exposed purlins and rafters are carried down to stone corbels. The lower walls of the sanctuary are panelled and there is a timber reredos; the six lancets above have short shafts, moulded heads and jambs and are linked by a continuous hood mould. They are fitted with late-C19 stained glass. The pointed-arched arcade forming the south aisle is carried on squat circular columns with moulded capitals. Shoulder-arched openings lead from the sanctuary to the vestry and from the south aisle to a side entrance. There is a moulded band to the nave and the windows have label-moulds. In the belfry, the flatbed clock sits within its frame and retains the original wheel and stay for ringing. It has the name 'Wilson, Maryport' on the small dial; the steel bell is made by the firm of Vickers in Sheffield, and part of the company inscription ‘S LIMITED’ is visible.