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<< Image Pages >> St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) - Ancient Cross in England in Cumbria

Submitted by Sunny100 on Tuesday, 19 April 2011  Page Views: 7315

Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) Alternative Name: St Bride's Cross
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 3.255 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Cumbria Type: Ancient Cross
Nearest Town: Cockermouth  Nearest Village: Bridekirk
Map Ref: NY1164133689
Latitude: 54.690460N  Longitude: 3.372278W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
3 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

Anne T visited on 14th Aug 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Font with Runic inscription, St. Bridget's, Bridekirk: We had an hour to fill between appointments between churches, so headed off to Bridekirk to see the font with runic inscription, which we'd missed during our last visit on 1st May 2015. The notice said the church was "normally open during daylight hours" but on this occasion the main door appeared to be bolted at the top from the inside, so we couldn't get in. This time, not having a six month old granddaughter with us, we walked round the outside of the church and noticed a collection of old grave slabs displayed against the exterior of the apse at the east end of the church, including an old cross base. None of these in mentioned on Pastscape. Checking back in my photos, I had taken a photograph of the font. The middle band (when enlarged) does indeed have a runic inscription on it.

Anne T visited on 1st May 2015 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Anglo Scandinavian Cross Arm Piece, St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk): We arrived here just after 4pm. I’m not sure what I expected, but the old church was an enigmatic ruin at the eastern end of the churchyard – no more than a few ivy covered walls left of the chancel with graves contained within. This church is usually open from morning until dusk. We went into the church and admired the ancient font. We found the remains of the Anglo Scandanavian cross head on the window sill on the north wall and I photographed it, turned it round and photographed the other side. [The Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture web site was off-offline when we visited, but their reference for this stone is Bridekirk 01. The smaller fragment of cable roll moulding to the right hand side of this piece is ref. Bridekirk 02.] There was also a carved stone piece on a window ledge opposite, on the south wall. The guide describes this as “Opinions differ about the origins of the stone on the opposite windowsill (which was found in the churchyard in 1911) between being part of a Romanesque carved panel, or a genuine piece of Roman sculpture. Those who have claimed it to be Roman consider it to be a dedication to the Romano-British water goddess Coventina”. As we were walking into the chancel, the door opened and a voice said ‘hello, do you want some lights on?’. The church warden had come down to lock up. Our visit was a little curtailed as she kindly chatted to us throughout, telling us about the old church and that there was thought to be the remains of an older wooden structure underneath. Because we were now being accompanied, we missed quite a few features we’d really rather have stayed to see. I didn’t really get to appreciate the door into the south transept, which was relocated from the original old church; the arch over the organ in the north transept is also from the old church. There is also in the porch an ancient piece of red sandstone which dates from the 11th or 13th centuries depicting the head of Christ. Next to the ruined Norman chancel, there is also a modern version of an Anglo-Saxon cross used as a grave marker which dates from 1892. Worth a re-visit when we're next passing.



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 5

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Sunny100 : Illustration of The Cross-Head fragment at St Bridget's Church, Bridekirk, Cumbria, by Rev William Slater Calverley 1847-98. The above image is from his renowned work 'Early Sculptured Crosses, Shrines and Monuments in the Present Diocese of Carlisle 1899 Ed. by W.G. Collingwood. (Vote or comment on this photo)
St Bridget's or St Bride's Church at the northern side of the village of Bridekirk is 2 miles north of Cockermouth and about 1 mile north of the A595. The 12th century church houses an Anglo-Saxon cross fragment and an ancient carved font.

The carved Anglo-Saxon cross fragment is made of red sandstone and probably dates from the 9th-10th century. It almost certainly once formed part of the cross-head, the rest of the cross has long since gone. The cross fragment was described by the Rev William Calverley in his work 'Notes on the Early Sculptured Crosses, Shrines and Monuments in the Present Diocese of Carlisle' 1899.

Also in the church a rare 10th century font that is richly carved with runic inscriptions, Adam and Eve, the tree of life, Christ and St John the Baptist, as well as a little known mythical Norse character.
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St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : This old cross base, taller than most others we've seen, and with a deep socket stone, is hidden behind bracken with a display of old grave slabs. This can be found towards the north eastern exterior side of the apse. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : Recorded as Pastscape 9484, this unusual font was originally thought to be Saxon. It bears the inscription 'made by one Rikart' in runes in the central band around it. Found in Papcastle in pasture south of the lane called Moor-went; now in St. Bridget's Church, Bridekirk. The church was locked when we went to try to see this font, but I had a photo from our previous visit on 1st May 2015. Acco... (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : Next to the ruined Norman chancel there sits what appears to be a modern representation of an Anglo Saxon cross, used as a grave marker dated 1892. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : On a windowsill on the southern side of the nave sits what is believed to be either a Romanesque carved panel or a genuine piece of Roman sculpture. It is claimed to be a dedication to the Romano-British water goddess Coventina. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : The reverse side of this Anglo Scandinavian Cross Arm fragment which dates from the 10th century. Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture reference: Bridekirk 01. The small stone fragment almost hidden to the right of this piece (AS Corpus ref. Bridekirk 02) is a piece of cabled roll moulding. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk)
St Bridget's Church (Bridekirk) submitted by Anne T : The side of the Anglo Scandinavian cross (which the guide book for the church says dates from the 10th century and "similar in style to the cross on the Giant's Grave at Penrith") which is usually displayed. It sits on a windowsill on the northern side of the church in the nave. Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture ref: Bridekirk 01

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