St Andrew

For the church serves the scattered population in the rural parish of Kirkandrews on Esk, once the centre of the historic and lawless Debateable Land of the English Scottish border.  The simplicity of the exterior of the church gives no hint either of the splendour of the interior.

The present Grade II* church (which the new edition of the Cumbria volume of Pevsner the Buildings of England features as its cover piece) is a plain Georgian rectangular structure on an unusual north south axis. It stands under the protection of a Pele Tower in the landscaped setting of the Netherby Hall Parkland.

Key features include, the arched window with their original tinted chequerboard panes and inset stained glass panel by Henry Victor Milner; the Tuscan doorway to the southern front with a large top pediment; the landmark bell tower housing a sundial, a thanksgiving from the Graham family for the safe return of two sons from WWI and the first door colonnaded gallery with its vividly coloured centre memorial window.

In 1892/3 the distinguished architect Temple Moore remodelled the churches interior adding the highly decorated and gilded Baroque screen, choir stalls and a reredos containing a copy of Raphael's painting of the Transfiguration. He reused the Georgian box pews for the inner door and wall panelling; lowered the pulpit but retained the Florentine ceiling which is now painted in its original colours.

The graveyard contains elaborately carved 18th century headstones indicating the rising prosperity that peace, following the pacification of the Borders, and improvements in agriculture, instituted by the celebrated Dr Robert Graham of Netherby, brought to the parish.

Linking the moat half of the parish across the river Esk to the church is an 80m Grade II footbridge replacing an earlier ferry. The bridge, constructed in 1877 and manufactured by Francis Morton of Liverpool, consists of two latticed iron pylons from which are suspended steel cables and a wooden plank walkway.