St James the Great is a magnificent Victorian brick church with stone accents and spire that can be seen prominently in the Barrow-in-Furness skyline.
The church sits at the corner of Blake Street and Hartington Street at the high point in Hindpool district of Barrow-in-Furness (nearest postcode LA14 5UE).
Details of our regular services and activities are listed below. There is often something of interest and value happening at the church, and of course a very warm welcome.
Regular Services
| Day | Time | Service | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 10.30am | Family Eucharist | First Sunday of each month. Followed by coffee & chat. |
| Sunday | 10.30am | Sung Eucharist | 2nd to 4th Sunday of each month. 5th Sunday joint service (at St Francis or St James) so please check calendar to confirm venue. Followed by coffee & chat. |
| Wednesday | 10am | Holy Communion |
*BCP = Book of Common Prayer
Regular Activities
| Group | Meeting Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mothers Union | First Wednesday of Month | 2pm to 4pm |
| Craft Group | Thursday (not in holidays) | 1.30 to 3.30pm |
| Choir Practice | Thursday | 2 to 3pm |
| Bellringing Practice | Wednesday | 6.45 -7.30pm Simulator Practice* 7.30 – 9pm Main Practice |
| Service Ringing | Sunday | 10am to 10.30am |
* Simulator practice is silent outside, but used for teaching basic bell handling or practising advanced bellringing that cannot be achieved in the standard practice.
Donations
Donations to St James can now be made securely online as either a one-off donation, or as a regular payment.
The following buttons open new tabs which take details in a few simple steps
- Personal Details (Name, Postal and Email Addresses)
- Payment Details (Donation Amount, Transaction Fee and Gift Aid options)
- Credit/Debit Card or Direct Debit (bank account) details, and button to donate or set up payment.
There may be an additional verification check depending on your card (e.g. passcode sent to your mobile) depending on your credit/debit card settings.
Single (once-only) Donation/Gift
Regular Giving (monthly)
Once your payment is complete, you will be returned to a new blank form, and you can close the browser tab/window.
A confirmation email will be sent from support@datadevelopments.co.uk
Room Hire, and Venue Hire
The meeting room in the annexe of the church can be hired for family and community group activities/events, complete with use of kitchen.
The church, with its excellent accoustics is also available for hire for concerts (e.g. choral, instrumental, organ recitals etc.)
Rates are reasonable and can be checked with churchwardens (see St James’ contacts), and availability should be apparent from the shared calendar on the welcome page, but will be confirmed on making any booking.
Special Events, Occasions and Services
This will include events such as weddings, blessings, baptisms and carol services, craft fairs, musical performances (organ recitals, visiting performers such as the Barrow Male Voice Choir), bellringing events and performances, and many others.
Details of special events and services will be published in the shared calendar on the welcome page.
St James C of E Junior School
The church has good links with the adjacent St James C of E Junior School, and more cinformation about the school is available on their website.
The Church Building
The lifeblood of the church has, and always will be the people in Christian worship, prayer and witness, however the building can play an inspirational part, a place to come together, and a connection to worship over the generations (past and future).
The church building was designed by Paley and Austin it was opened on Whit Sunday 1869, and has provided a spacious and friendly place for the community in Hindpool and surrounds to come and worship for many generations.
The church inspired Alfred Wainwright to sketch it!
The church contains a notable organ dating from 1837 that began life in the Chapel Royal at St James’ palace in London and was played at Queen Victoria’s wedding.
The tower has a ring of 8 bells cast in 1877 (the heaviest is 621kg) and were restored in 2014.
History of the Church
The history of the church began with the influx of workers to the industrial boom town in the middle of the 19th century, requiring new housing and a church on a grand Victorian scale to provide for their spiritual needs and observance.