 |
|||||||||
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Our Parish and its surroundings The Parish was founded in 1924. The area of the parish is 80 square miles or thereabouts (compare this with a city parish of 4 sq.miles) and the Lake District is officially 885 sq. miles. Hence we comprise 9% of the Lake District and this percentage could very well be increased in the near future! The church was extended in 1964 with the addition of the tower. If one looks carefully at the interior or exterior one can discern where the extension started. There are about 200 parishioners but in the winter the attendance at mass drops to 120/130 per week and in the "season" which starts at Easter, attendance, thanks to the visitors, steadily rises to in excess of 300 per week. This keeps us going as a parish. Taking into account attendances at mass, guests at weddings, baptisms, funerals and various other church services, a little under 20,000 people pass through the church each year. Further gems of useful(?) information are:- The population of the Lake District is 2.7 million sheep and 487,607 people. The population of Keswick is around 5000 people. Hence, the injunction "feed my lambs and feed my sheep" is very apposite to this rural parish. The wettest inhabited place in Britain is in Borrowdale {Seathwaite) which according to the plaque enjoys in excess of 144 inches of rain per annum! Compare this with Keswick which has an average of 64 inches of rain per annum and Kendal which has 45 inches per annum.
So... in order to keep you occupied, try these local questions! 1. The distance around the lake by road is 10.5 miles, but what is the length of Derwentwater and how deep is it? 2. Which Saint lived on an Island in the lake? Which Saint was his friend? 3. Which author famous in 1930's and who wrote the "Herries Chronicles" lived in Manesty at the head of Derwentwater? Where in Keswick is he buried? 4. Some 4 miles out of town near Mirehouse is an 10th Century church named after St. Bega. Who was she and what well known author and regular broadcaster has written her story in a book called "Credo"? 5. Another small church in Newlands Valley is associated with a Beatrix Potter character. Which one? 6. Crosthwaite Churchyard (just higher up the road) lays claim to a famous Lakeland poet who amongst other things wrote a definitive history of Brazil - for which he is held in great esteem by Brazil - and Goldilocks and the three bears. Who was he? 7. Canon Rawnesly of the aforesaid church was a co-founder of a national institution of which many reading this are members. What is this institution? 8. Finally, what is the height of the church tower? (Thanks to Anthony McEntee for this) |