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St. John's, Helsington
St John's Helsington
St John's Church was built in 1726 from an endowment by John Jackson of nearby Holeslack
Farm and so its isolated position owes much to proximity of the Farm which is down the track
towards Sizergh Castle. The Church serves the village of Brigsteer at the bottom of
the scar, but the Parish is called Helsington after the name of one of the twenty four townships
which constituted the greater parish of Kendal. The Church was a daughter church of Kendal
parish church. The parish now forms a part of the Two Valleys Team.
There are some interesting features in the church principally a mural painted at the east end in 1919 just after the 1st world war by Miss Saumarez. The mural is effectively a war memorial reflecting the post war desolation in borrowing from the view outside to depict a scene of mountains, the river and sea and kneeling angels in prayer. The altar frontal is uniquely decorated with tooled leather panels. The wooden panelling and pulpit in the chancel were part of the 1908 restoration of the church. At the back of the church is the chamber organ made by Samuel Renn of Manchester c1845 which has a high quality mahogany case and matching lyre ended stool. It was purchased for the church for £35 in 1902.
The Priest in Charge is The Reverend Tim Harmer, Sunnybank, Underbarrow, Kendal, LA8 8HG, 015395 68865
Services are held at 9.30am on the second, third and fourth Sundays of the month. On the fifth Sunday services are held jointly with the Two Valleys Team at one of the churches in the team. On the first Sunday of the month there is a gathering at Sunnybank the home of Tim & June Harmer called T @ 4 which is an informal time for families with young children.
