Our Lady’s & St Michael’s is included in Elena Curti’s Book, Fifty Catholic Churches to See Before you Die, for good reason. Designed by E. W. Pugin it is a classic example of the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival with its stunning stained glass rose and lancet windows, soaring arches, decorative high altars, and furnishings from the Hardman workshops ofBirmingham, choir stalls carved by Mousie Thompson, a Hill organ, a baptistry inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, and some alabaster reliefs dated from the early fifteenth century. The scale and the setting of the church, all built in local St Bees sandstone, make the church an outstanding architectural feature of West Cumbria and a must-see attraction for the wider community.

The church was built as a sacrament machine, designed to accommodate the great numbers of Irish migrants that flooded the town in the mid-nineteenth century for worship: It was designed as a sacred space to celebrate Mass for the masses with two confessionals on either side of the nave. With time numbers have diminished and the needs of the community have changed in some respects. Whilst still home to a vibrant worshipping community, the parish recognises the need to provide an accessible welcoming space for visitors, school groups and events, and desires to share the beauty that has been gifted to us with others in the church’s architecture, history and patrimony.

To this end, the Stella Maris group was established to coordinate the restoration project of the church and its fundraising efforts. A new architect was appointed, Dominic Roberts, who has identified three areas of development: the re-decoration and restoration of the sacristy; the high-level repair work to the South Transept rose window and its masonry; and, the re-imagining of the narthex (or porch) area. This latter project would involve the creation of a new level entrance at the point between the baptistry and the piety store end of the narthex, semi-enclosing the existing narthex area as a meeting room, and the provision of toilets and simple kitchen facilities. This project has the advantage of respecting the integrity of the building whilst enhancing its usage and creating an environment which is welcoming and hospitable and builds up community.

Sketches of the proposed designs are available at the back of the church, and if you are interested in getting involved with the Stella Maris Group in any capacity and being part of this exciting project, please email us and find the Workington Stella Maris Group on Facebook. There you will also find news of forthcoming events.