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St Paul's Church, Irton, is a short drive southeast of Gosforth via unnumbered single-track roads. Irton is not on any map, but the church is marked on some maps. (This map shows the location.)
The present church was built in 1856-57, when the former church was demolished. It was enlarged in 1872 and extensively restored in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The church is a classic, simple Victorian church with a stunning collection of stained glass. The art of stained glass production was almost lost following the Reformation, but in the 1850s there was a resurgence of interest, culminating in the work of William Morris and his associates. Photos of the most remarkable panels appear below.
(Click on photos for larger views.)
The church’s oldest treasure is the Irton Cross, found in the churchyard to the south of the church building. Carved from a single block of red sandstone, it is complete and well-preserved. It stands about 10 feet tall and still rests in its original socket stone. Dating from the early ninth century, this cross is somewhat older than the Gosforth Cross. It looks very different from the Gosforth Cross, however, in that it bears no human or animal figures. It is carved with vine scrolls, interlacing knotwork, spiralled circles, and rosettes, suggesting an Irish-Celtic origin for its creator. The Irton Cross was carved shortly before the Norse invasions. It is the only Anglian cross in Britain which still retains its cross head. During the Reformation, and later during the English Civil War, most standing stone crosses were destroyed by militant Protestants.
A set of beautiful 19th-century stained glass windows is found inside the church. The most remarkable are four panels by Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-98), a prominent, influential, and well-loved Victorian artist, and probably the greatest of the second generation of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. After his death, a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey, the first time an artist had been so honoured. These panels were created in the workshop of his friend William Morris (1834-96).
The first window shows on the left St Paul beside the Greek altar to an unknown God, a reference to St Paul in Athens. The right panel shows the Tiburtine Sybil, who probably requires a longer explanation. This sybil, or prophetess, told Augustus, Emperor of Rome when Jesus was born, about the Virgin Birth of the Messiah. As she was telling him this, he had a vision of the virgin and child. This legend became popular because some church people liked to think that omens of this most important birth were perceived even by the emperor. In the top right hand corner of the panel can be seen the vision of the virgin and child with two angels.
The other stained glass window shows, on the left, St Agnes holding a lamb, and St Catherine of Alexandria on the right. St Agnes, whose name in Latin means "lamb", lived in Rome during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. According to her legend, when she was about 13, she declared herself a bride of Christ and so refused marriage. Despite repeated attempts to cause her to violate her vow, she remained faithful. The young men she rejected complained to a local governor who ordered her to be executed by the sword.
St Catherine lived in Alexandria when Emperor Maxentius was persecuting the church. Catherine, a noble and learned young Christian, prevailed in a public debate with philosophers who tried to convince her of the errors of Christianity. Then she was imprisoned and condemned to death. She was tied to a wheel embedded with razors, but this attempt to torture her to death failed when the machine (later a Catherine wheel) broke and onlookers were injured by flying fragments. Finally, she was beheaded. St Catherine is usually portrayed, as here, holding a book, symbolic of her great learning. She is the patron saint of teachers and students.
St Paul's Church has many other fine windows by lesser-known artists.
For more photos of the church, click here.
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