Church of St Peter, Far Sawrey, Hawkshead,Cumbria

OPENING OF THE NEW CHURCH AT SAWREY - On Thursday morning the beautiful little church dedicated to St. Peter, at Sawrey, on the Lancashire shore of Windermere Lake, was opened by the celebration of Divine service - the sermon being preached by the Venerable Archdeacon Cooper. Before we describe the proceedings of an event so fraught, it is to be hoped, with the happiest consequences to the present and future inhabitants of the district of Sawrey, a word or two must be said with reference to the structure itself and the circumstances under which it has been raised,

The honorary architect of the church is Mr. Robert Brass, of London, and his designs as now seen in their completion, must be pronounced as artistic as they are appropriate to the character of the country in which the structure is placed. The design is in the Early English style. The church consists of a nave, transept, and chancel. It is covered with an open timber roof, in character with the rest of the building. The walls, are of the stone of the country, the quoins, string courses, mullions, corbels, a chancel arch of fine proportions, being of freestone brought from a distance. The church is well lighted by ten lancet windows of two lights each, with a large three-light window at the east end, and a large five-light one at the west. The porch and bell-tower are on the north side, the lower portion the latter forming the vestry; and on the south side is an organ-chamber (alas! without an organ!) to correspond. The contractor for the carpentry work was Mr. John Taylor, of Sawrey; for the masonry Mr Isaac Croasdell of Birthwaite (the whole of this department having been under the superintendence of Mr. Henry Davies); for the walling Mr. Geo. Bowness of Esthwaite (in partnership, during the early part of the work, with Mr. Benjamin Usher, of Hawkshead); for the plumbing and glazing, Mr. Edward Cragg, of Bowness ; for the painting and staining, Mr Thomas Gott, of Bowness; and for the plastering Mr. Jno. Pattinson, of Windermere. It is right to say that these contracts have all been executed in a satisfactory and workmanlike manner. A fine-toned bell of cast steel. and weighing several hundredweight, the gift of Mr. Scowler, Q.C. of Sawrey Knotts, (who has likewise presented the communion table, the chairs. and the kneeling stools), has been for some time in the tower. To complete, at once, the list of furnishings, we may mention that a small and chaste christening font, of Caen stone, was presented by the late Mr Joseph Garnett of How End, and occupies a space near the entrance porch. For the rest, wo can hardly do better than reprint the substance of a paragraph on the church furniture of Sawrey, which appeared in the Gazette a few weeks ago. "The communion table, the two chairs, and the kneeling stools are all of solid oak carved perforated from designs made by a gentleman resident in the immediate neighbourhood, who has presented these articles of furniture to the church. Although solid and substantial, they are light and elegant in appearance and do much credit to the skill and good workmanship of Mr John Taylor, carpenter, of Far Sawrey, who was the contractor for the wood work of the church. There is no pretence to originality of design in any of these things — they are manifestly copies from antique models — but they were most appropriate to the edifice in which they were placed, and although they bear the stamp of the taste which prevailed centuries ago, there is a finish about them that is rarely to be found in the ordinary church carpentry of that remote period. The reading desk, also of oak, is the gift of Mrs. Sowler, of Sawrey Knotts, and is from a design made by Mr Robert Brass, the honorary architect This is elegant, appropriate, and also the workmanship of Mr. John Taylor. It matches the oak pulpit, but is much lighter in appearance, in consequence of open work having been adopted instead of panelling." This pulpit is a solid structure but quite in keeping with the pleasing architecture of the church. It is the gift of Mr. Thos. Brass, of London, brother of the architect. The lectern,  - an eagle finely carved in oak by Mr. Hodgson, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, - is the gift of Mrs Jno  Mackenzie, of Clarkshill, Strand, and the Communion plate, which consists of a large flagon, two chalices, putties, and two plates, trebly silver-plated and remarkably handsome, is the gift of Miss P Sowler, the sister of Mrs. Sowler, and Mrs. Mackenzie. The communion rails, which are of hammered iron, painted blue and gold, and surmounted with a polished oak top rail, are most appropriate, and the gift of the Rev. H. T. Baines, of Hawkshead.  The service books, bound in blue morocco, with gilt edges have been presented by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The linen for the communion table. which is of damask of a suitable design, is the gift of Mrs Garnett, of How End.  Other gifts have also been made, and the liberality of those engaged in this righteous enterprise is altogether creditable to them.

The necessity for building a church at Sawrey has long ago, and repeatedly been made evident in these columns. The ancient parish of Hawkshead, excluding the township of Satterthwaite (which, we are happy to hear, is about to enlarge, and otherwise greatly improve, its church, under the auspices of its vicar, the Rev. H, Baines,) is about seven miles long by five wide, and, until within a comparatively recent period, the Parish Church was the only place of worship in connexion with the Church. For the spiritual needs of the northern and north-eastern parts of the parish provision has been made by the erection of churches at Brathay and the Wray; but the district still attached to the Parish Church, lying between Windermere on the east, and Yewdale and Coniston Water on the west, contains a scattered population of about 1,000 souls, more than 400 of whom reside three miles or more from the Parish Church. It is hardly necessary to say that in a mountainous district thus circumstanced a large proportion of the population found it very difficult to attend divine service at all times. Under these circumstances, a number of gentlemen in the district formed themselves into a committee for the purpose of building a church at Sawrey. The promoters had the cordial co-operation of the Bishop of the Diocese, the Archdeacon of Westmorland, the then Rural Dean of Ambleside — the present Archdeacon of Carlisle — the Ven. S. P. Boutflower, and the Vicar of Hawkshead, the Rev. Richard Greenall ; and the result now is the beautiful little church which we have endeavoured to describe, and which it is to be hoped may endure as a lasting monument of the earnest piety and liberality of its founders. [Westmorland Gazette 15 May 1869]