St Catherine
Boot, Cumbria
A magnificent setting among the dales at the upper end of Eskdale with the backdrop of Scafell Pike, St Catherine’s dates back to the 12th century.
One of the church’s plain diamond shaped windows contains an etching of Napes Needle, a rock formation on Great Gable, with the words; ‘I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my strength’ (Psalm 121).
The roof beams are thought to have come from Viking ships. The churchwarden’s staves have a Herdwick ram’s head on one and the ewe’s head on the other.
The surrounding churchyard contains the graves of local families as well as those who have died on the fells. A memorial commemorating members of the Lake District Fell and Rock Climbing Club who died in WWI was recently removed from its position on Great Gable and repositioned on a stone plinth in the churchyard, a constant reminder of the special bond between the church and the mountains.