St

The Beginning - A Chapel

The first place of worship was known to exist in 1642. This was a small building with five windows and measured forty five feet long by twenty one feet wide, and was classed as a chapel of ease. It was used by the fishermen and their families who lived in and around the town, and was served by the Vicar of the Priory Church at St. Bees. As the population grew, so did the congregation, so a bigger church was deemed necessary. The chapel had been built on Lowther Street near Chapel Street, so when the new church was started the chapel was demolished. It was in the middle of what is now Lowther Street, outside the Rum Story.

The First Church
The site for this was a piece of land consisting of sand dunes which were close to Sandhills Lane. The hard white stone used for the building was quarried from Tom Herds Rock at a cost of £70. This stone also gave Whitehaven it’s name. When completed, the new Church was consecrated by the Rt Rev. Dr Nicholas Stratford, Lord Bishop of Chester, and dedicated to St Nicholas, the Patron Saint of Sailors and Children on the 16th July 1693. The cost of the building was One Thousand Four Hundred and Twelve pounds Three shillings and Twopence Halfpenny. This Church served the needs of the community for almost two hundred years and the stone doorway dating from 1693 has been preserved and is at the entrance of the present building. Until June 1867 this Church remained as a Chapel of Ease to St. Bees (although wholly independent of its Mother Church). On 4th June 1867 St. James, Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas all became Parishes in their own right

The Second Church (The third Place of Worship)

The third St. Nicholas was constructed of red sandstone from the Beggarhill Quarry, Egremont, about five miles south of Whitehaven. This was a magnificent building which consisted of Nave, Chancel, Side Chapel, Clerestory, Tower and an Organ Chamber that housed one of the finest church organs in the country, and had a seating capacity of 600 but could accommodate up to 1000 when the need arose. It was consecrated on the 31st of August 1883. The ceremony was performed by the Rt Rev. Harvey Goodwin, Bishop of Carlisle. The building was a gift to the town by Miss Margaret Gibson, in memory of her parents, and stood as a magnificent addition to the town until it was practically destroyed by fire 93 years later almost to the day.

Fire destroyed the Nave and Sanctuary on the afternoon of August 31st 1971. The High Altar, a fine example of Renaissance carving was lost in the fire and the Altar piece which had been brought from the earlier church was also lost. This depicted the Last Supper and was painted by Matthias Read. His paintings of Moses and Aaron were both saved, and after they were cleaned and restored, now hang in St James' Church on the Gallery. Rebuilding the Church was considered, but in April 1973 the Diocesan Pastoral Committee decided against this, so the Congregation united with Christ Church to form the Parish Church of Christ Church / St Nicholas in 1974.