St Paul, Irton

St Paul's church was founded by Augustinian monks in the 13th century. It was rebuilt and consecrated in 1865, designed by Miles Thompson of Kendal using the old church's original stone and wood.[4] Extensions and renovations were carried out in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, these included the introduction of the present timber roof.

Built of the local stone with pebble dash stucco with a slate roof and terra-cotta ridge tiles. The interior space comprises a 4-bay nave with west tower, 3-bay chancel, and adjoining vestry.[5] The tower contains a peal of eight bells given by Sir Thomas Brocklebank, the shipping magnate, who set up the Brocklebank Shipping Co in Whitehaven. There are memorials to various members of the Brocklebank family, and to Admiral Lutwidge.

The floor is tiled with Minton Encaustic tiles. The stone font has 4 marble shafts supporting circular bowl with evangelist symbols carved on panels at cardinal points. The octagonal wooden pulpit has arcaded, openwork sides. Scrollwork decoration to wrought-iron gates in tower arch. The pipe organ pipes are decorated with Fleur-de-lis. The pews are a dark wood and fixed a quatrefoil carved into ends.

There are many stained glass windows in the church, and two pairs of these are designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and made by William Morris & Co. These show St Paul, The Tiburtine Sibyl, St Agnes with a lamb, and St Catherine of Alexandria.

The churchyard has approximately 100 grave stones and a further 100 in an adjacent cemetery, including 1 Commonwealth War Grave[6]

In the churchyard is Irton Cross, an Anglo-Saxon cross dating from the early 9th century, it lies chronologically between the Bewcastle Cross and the Gosforth cross and has greater affinity with the earlier Anglo-Roman style of Bewcastle.[7] Pevsner describes this as one of the most important crosses in Cumberland.