Registered Charity 1191666
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Please read the latest update below
AGM - Wednesday 7th June
7:30 pm at Lindale Village Hall
Lindale Community Trust
The Trustees of Lindale Community Trust have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the scheme to bring the closed church of St Paul's Lindale into Community use is no longer viable. This is due to increased costs, further deterioration in the fabric of the church since its closure and difficulties over the terms of the lease. We should like to thank all those who have supported and contributed to the project. Part of the funds raised have been spent on a professional survey of the building and an outline plan of the proposed future layout of the church. The remainder will be available for the support of other projects in the village.
The Diocese will now market it for sale as suitable for alternative uses, subject to planning consent. The Trustees intend to maintain a keen interest in any future use of the building. Further details will be given at the AGM of the Trust on Wednesday June 7th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. All are welcome.
St Paul's Church Lindale
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE HELPED US ACHIEVE! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
148% of original target reached! Crowdfunder campaign ended Oct 16th 2020
When 'Gift Aid' is added the total raised so far will be: £16,837.50
Thank you all for your support.
It's a brilliant start for our campaign.
Welcome - Lindale Church - Plans - Vision - Heritage - Gallery - Happening Now
Get Involved - Fundraising Events - Documents - Donate - Contact
Welcome - Thanks for Visiting Us
After the sad closure of Lindale Church in Cumbria due to mounting repair bills, a team of enthusiastic members of the local community formed the Lindale Community Trust.
Our aim is to create a multi-use community and heritage centre in the redundant church which will benefit local residents and visitors from further afield.
We are now registered as a charity and our formal constitution, including our aims and objectives, can be seen in the documents section.
We plan to create a versatile facility allowing for educational, social and recreational use of this much loved building. It would be suitable for musical and cultural events, plus leisure and sporting activities for young and old alike. Interest has already been received from several groups keen to use the church on a regular basis. The space will complement the village hall facility and would be available to rent, when the village hall is already busy.
About Lindale Church
There was a chapel in Lindale which was first documented in 1577. George Fox preached there in 1652. The present church of St Paul was built on the same site in 1829. It is a Grade 2 listed building, designed by the renowned Kendal architect, George Webster (1797-1864), who lived in the village and is buried in the churchyard. His mausoleum is also a listed monument.
The church is located within the boundary of the Lake District National Park, the English Lake District World Heritage Site. The church and village have a wealth of exciting cultural heritage, amongst them, John Wilkinson, the famous Iron Master and inventor, known as the Father of the Industrial Revolution. He is buried in his iron coffin beneath the church, making this a venue of international significance. Carlisle Diocese have offered the church to the community for a peppercorn rent
Our Plans for Change
The church closure presents an exciting opportunity to create a special place for the local community to enjoy. Our organisation plans to take a lease of the building and certain parts of the churchyard (sufficient for car parking) for the proposed future use as a community and learning centre. It offers a beautiful space with potential to host educational, social, sporting, well-being and leisure activities. The Trust wishes to welcome all members of our community, including younger people, the elderly, and also less advantaged or vulnerable people.
In addition, we have scope to welcome the wider public, including visitors to the Lake District World Heritage Site so they can learn more about our wonderful heritage.
We will create a flexible space, well fitted with a modern feel whilst maintaining the character of the original church where possible. We will incorporate good quality catering facilities and create a practical but cosy place, to widen the appeal of the converted building.
Our Vision for the Future
Lindale Community Trust have a strong vision for the Church to become a vibrant community facility used by local residents, youth groups and local businesses. We envisage a time when the local community can enjoy their visits to the Church again, for a variety of leisure, sporting and cultural activities. We also hope to see local residents and businesses make practical use of the space by hiring it for meetings, day conferences, and special occasions and to work in association with local caterers to ensure great events take place.
Our vision is also to welcome people visiting the National Park and surroundings, who will find here a venue where they can attend and enjoy cultural events. We will also tell the story of John Wilkinson, through modern interactive interpretation and displays.
And of course, through these activities we will be safeguarding the building and its heritage for future generations to enjoy, and for learning about the area to be handed down through these generations.
Our Heritage
The Industrial Revolution
Opportunities to learn and explore
Lindale's heritage is particularly associated with the early industrialist John “Iron-Mad” Wilkinson (1728-1808), probably Lindale’s most famous resident. He was one of the industrial revolution’s great entrepreneurs and inventors alongside such giants as Boulton, Watt and the Stephensons. He invented an improved boring machine without which steam engines would not have been successful. The Iron Bridge in Shropshire was his idea, as was the first iron boat. His iron monument in the village is a Listed Building, and his final home (Castle Head) is nearby just outside the village. Ironworks associated with the Wilkinson family are located 5 miles away in Backbarrow and these are now owned by the Backbarrow Ironworks Heritage Trust, a registered charity. Castle Head is now owned by the Field Studies Council, a registered charity. The iron coffin of John Wilkinson was famously buried at least 3 times and his final resting place is in Lindale Church.
Our aim is to advance learning and knowledge of the industrial heritage and social history of Lindale and the wider Cartmel Peninsula and promote understanding and knowledge of buildings of historic merit in Lindale. The preservation of St Paul’s Lindale will help us to achieve this, but we may use other venues to develop and trial these learning opportunities during the project whilst redevelopment takes place.
Links relevant to John Wilkinson
Photo Gallery
If you have any photographs for the website - get in touch
Two Panoramic Photographs of Lindale Church
A big 'thank you' to Roger Lincoln for these photos
Click on the broken square (top right) to expand the picture
Press 'Esc' (top left on keyboard) to return to this page
What's Happening Now?
UPDATE - March 2022
We shall hold our first AGM in Lindale Village Hall at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 30th March. All are welcome.
We will update you on our progress so far with fund raising, contact with the Diocese and research into John Wilkinson. We also need to elect the Trustees for a new term of office.
Please come along and give us your views on the future for this important Grade II listed building in the heart of our community.
UPDATE - January 2022
Now that there is hopefully some easing of covid restrictions the Trust team will be renewing their fundraising efforts by re-submitting applications to the National Lottery Fund. If you are someone with experience of making such grant applications we would dearly love to hear from you. We also continue to pursue the first draft of the lease via the Diocese, whose work has also been severely hampered by the impact of COVID.
We will also aim to host our overdue AGM later this Spring. If you would like to receive notification of the AGM date, and other progress, please sign up to receive our newsletter here.
UPDATE - April 2021
The Church Commissioners have posted notification of the draft scheme in the Westmorland Gazette (April 8th) and in Lindale Post Office. Representations may be made in support of (or against) the scheme to them by email to:
closedchurches.reps@churchofengland.org Please email in your support for this project.
before 21st May. A copy of the draft scheme may be seen at Lindale Post Office or online at:
www.churchofengland.org/consultations / read the pdf document of the scheme
We should be most grateful if you could spare a few minutes to send an email supporting the scheme. We are working hard to secure funding and plans before we take the next step of signing a lease.
UPDATE - March 2021
The Lindale Community Trust has been established and is now a registered charity [Number 1191666]. The team of trustees meet regularly and hosted initial fundraising activity before Covid 19 halted further planned events. We have had success with four small grant applications (Cumbria County Council, South Lakeland District Council, Sport England and Hadfield Trust)and a great first local crowdfunding event. Phases One and two of the Project are ongoing:
In Phase 1 we have undertaken a detailed damp and decay survey with Hutton and Rostron Surveyors to understand the condition of the building and the scope of all necessary repairs. Their report is attached for your interest here. [Click here to view the report.]
In phase 2 our local architect, Mike Darwell of John Coward Associates of Cartmel has completed the first draft of our design concept plans for the building and we will be sharing these with you as soon as we have adjusted them.
We continue to liaise with the Carlisle Diocese regarding the details of the lease and responsibility for repairs. At the moment, the Church Commission is due to advertise a Schedule (similar to a public notice) to let the public know about our plans. This will be advertised in the Westmorland Gazette and locally in Lindale at the Village Shop and on the Church Noticeboard. A period of 6 weeks is required for feedback and consultation before the draft lease can be prepared for us. There have been months of delays in posting this schedule due to the requirement for a site visit by the Church Commission which has been impossible during Covid Restrictions, but we are hopeful of an imminent site visit (as at 10 March 2021).
The signing of the lease will require some legal expertise and if anyone is interested in helping with this aspect of the project they would be welcome to contact us. We will also want to recruit further trustees who have time to invest in the project as our time is too small currently for the workload in hand. Anyone with fundraising experience in particular or architectural project management interest would be welcome to join us.
UPDATE - October 2020
We launched our crowd funding for this first phase of the work in September 2020. By 16th October (the end of the Crowdfunder appeal) we had raised [with Gift Aid] £16,837.50 - this is a brilliant start for our project.
There will be further crowd funding opportunities as the project develops, and we are working with expert fundraisers to establish grant opportunities based on the heritage and community benefits of the project.
If you donated to the first phase we like to say a very big THANK YOU!
Initial Statement
The Lindale Community Trust has been established and is now a registered charity [Number 1191666]. The team of trustees meet regularly and hosted initial fundraising activity before Covid 19 halted further planned events. We have had success with two small grant applications. We have chosen a local architect, Mike Darwell of John Coward Associates of Cartmel to progress our plans and the focus now is on fundraising for Phase 1 and 2 of the project:
• Understanding the condition of the building and the scope of necessary repairs
• Creating the detailed design concept.
We are also liaising with the Carlisle Diocese regarding the details of the lease and responsibility for repairs. If the project does not succeed, then Carlisle Diocese will attempt to sell the church. A large initial meeting of the local residents established that Lindale does not want to see this happen.
Getting Involved
How you can help
We welcome everyone to get involved. Some already have by joining as trustees or offering assistance at initial meetings. We have a social committee too for our fundraising events and folks with practical skills to help out.
If you have skills and experience which you think are relevant, or are just passionate to get involved, please chat with us.
Specifically if you can help distribute leaflets about our crowd funding in September that would be a great help, especially in villages just outside Lindale.
If you have bright ideas about our project, do send us your thoughts.
How to make a donation
Click on the £ below to see how you can contribute
Future Fundraising Events
As Pandemic restrictions relax we look forward to having fundraising events for the project, and informative gatherings to explain more. Subscribe here to receive our updates and newsletters.
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Our initial Crowdfunder appeal is now closed ...
View or Download Documents
Click on the links below to view or download the documents
