St John's Church, Nenthead

The Church of St John the Evangelist at Nenthead in Cumberland claims to be the highest parish church in England. As well as being situated high up among our northern hills, one has a steep climb just to get from the road to its front door. Constructed in 1845 by the London Lead Company, it bespeaks an era when companies understood that their workers had spiritual needs as well as ones economic and physical.

Various people assure me of how difficult it is to attend church; reasons may involve children, pets, Sunday dinners, ingrown toe nails, inclement weather, busy roads, Association football, tiredness etcetera. They all occasionally combine to prevent the redeemed child of God from engaging in corporate worship. Those engaged in the mining of lead had a hard life but still desired to spend the Lord’s Day in divine communion. I daresay that the good folk of Nenthead have a harder commute than many of us; may the Good Lord bless their endeavours, while challenging the lethargy of the indolent.

O Father, who sustained them,
O Spirit, who inspired,
Saviour, whose love constrained them
to toil with zeal untired;
from cowardice defend us,
from lethargy awake!
Forth on your errands send us
to labor for your sake.

-Frank Houghton, 1931

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