Church

Our Lady Star of the Sea & St Michael, Workington

Our Lady Star of the Sea & St Michael, Workington

Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael on Banklands, Workington, is a Grade II Gothic Revival Roman Catholic church of 1876 by Edward Welby Pugin, in the Diocese of Lancaster.

Location
Workington, Cumbria
Country
England
County
Cumbria
City / town
Workington
Address
Banklands, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3EP
Postcode
CA14 3EP
Built
1876
Architect
E. W. Pugin
Denomination
Catholic Church
Dedication
Mary and Michael
Diocese
Lancaster
Parish
Good Shepherd, Workington
Grade
II
Style
Gothic Revival
Materials
Coursed squared red St Bees sandstone, ashlar dressings, Westmorland slate roof
Opening hours
Open 8am till 6.15pm each day.
Access
Accessible toilets in church. Level access throughout. Ramp or level access available on request

Overview

Benedictines from Whitehaven founded a mission in 1810; a chapel of 1814 on land given by John Curwen served Irish labourers. Pugin’s larger church of 1876, in red St Bees sandstone with a Westmorland slate roof, has a transeptal plan, south-front entrance, baptistry, and a statue of Our Lady Star of the Sea on the gable. The high altar is Caen stone; Robert Thompson of Kilburn carved choir stalls with Aesop misericords. Hardman glass was inserted in the 1930s. A Hill organ of 1907 is separately notable. Historic England placed the church on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2019 because of structural movement and sandstone decay. The old chapel became a parish hall, later linked with St Joseph’s Catholic High School.

Further Information