Railway Church

This is the pretty little church of St James, Tebay. It is hidden round the back of the main street and I have to admit to never having seen it before, despite having driven through the village many, many times.

It is a true Railway Church, as the land it was built on belonged to the North Eastern Railway Company and the same company contributed substantially towards its building.

With the coming of the railway in the 19th century, Tebay became an important junction and as a result the population grew rapidly. It had a station, engine sheds and marshalling yards; rows of terraced houses were built for the railway workers. The church was built specifically to provide for this growing population. It was consecrated in 1880.

Apparently the inside is built with railway bricks, the pews resemble the seats of a railway waiting room and the font cover is in the form of a railway engine wheel. I could not check this out today as it was locked. There is supposed to be an exhibition inside depicting the history of Tebay, so I will be back.

It was also wet and windy, so I was not long out of the car. This glimpse through the trees of the round turret with conical spire has to be sufficient for today.

Thank you to those who followed the link yesterday and saw and commented on my daughter’s journal. She is taking some remarkable pictures during their US road trip and I thought they were worth sharing.