Basic Site Details

Name: St John the Evangelist Church
Town, district or village: Plumpton
City or county: Cumberland
Country: England
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: Four years after the completion of Brackenburgh Tower, Sir Robert Lorimer was called back to design a new church in the nearby village of Plumpton, five miles north of Penrith on the A6. It had been anticipated that the new church would cost some £4,000, but in the event only £3,000 was raised, resulting in the scaling down of Lorimer’s original proposals.

Built of the local Lazonby new red sandstone in an Arts and Crafts style, the first sod was cut on 24 July 1907 and the new church consecrated by Bishop Diggle of Carlisle on 17 October 1908. The east gable buttress has a date-stone while a brass inscription plate inside the church records the names of architect and patron. Unusually, Lorimer chose to omit an east window and light the altar and sanctuary entirely from the side, (a device later employed by Basil Spence at Coventry Cathedral). Lorimer also designed the altar and pulpit. Unfortunately, the proposed fixed pews of Austrian oak were replaced with loose chairs as part of the original cost savings.

The triptych now behind the altar at Plumpton was also designed by Lorimer but not installed until 1999, having spent 23 years in storage. Rescued from the redundant St Mary’s Water of Leith Mission Church, Bell's Brae, Edinburgh, the paintings have been attributed to William Hole (1846-1917).

Contractors: masonry, Thomas Lowthrian and Son of Plumpton, £1,571-12-6; joinery, Richardson and Son of Penrith £498

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Church  

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 119071908Build/constructionChurch and lych gate

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 1(Sir) Robert Stodart Lorimer  19071908Church and lych gate

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
 NameNotes
Item 1 of 1Harris, Josephcolliery owner.

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Armstrong, Barrie and Wendy2005The Arts and Crafts Movement in the North West of England Oblong Creative Limitedp33-34
Item 2 of 3Pevsner, N (ed)1967Cumberland and Westmorland (The Buildings of England) Harmondsworth: Penguin Books 
Item 3 of 3Savage, Peter1980Lorimer and the Edinburgh Craft Designers Edinburgh: Paul Harris Publishing, 1980 (also paperback ed, London & Edinburgh: Steve Savage, 2005)p174

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 1National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSLorimer and Matthew Collection LOR XSD/39