Brougham: St Ninian's Church ('Ninekirks')

St Ninian's Church, known locally as Ninekirks, is the former parish church of Brougham. The village has now migrated west, and the church stands alone in a bend in the River Eamont, close to its confluence with the River Eden. It is not directly accessible by car, but can be reached by a track leading from a small car park on the north side of the A66, east of Brougham itself.

St Ninian's lies in the parish of Clifton and Brougham, whose parish church is St Cuthbert's, Clifton. A map of the parish on the AChurchNearYou site can be found by clicking on this link.

The church is dedicated to St Ninian, said to be the apostle of southern Scotland. The dedication is unusual south of the border, and is one of only a few in northern England. Ninian is honoured in the modern celtic Christian tradition and is remembered on 26th August. 

St Ninian's was the historic parish church of the ancient parish of Brougham (since amalgamated with adjoining Clifton). The present building is largely unchanged since it was rebuilt in 1659-1660 by Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676) on the site of an earlier, mediaeval church. Lady Anne's restoration is commemorated by a wreath in the plasterwork above the altar, in which her initials, and the year 1660, can be clearly seen. The building is particularly notable for its whitewashed interior, stone-flagged floor, box pews and three-decker pulpit, all of which are much as Lady Anne would have known them. The porch was added in 1841. St Ninian's isolated position is probably of long-standing, since the area was cleared as a hunting estate in the 13th century. In 1658, Lady Anne had rebuilt St Wilfrid's, the chapel of ease serving Brougham Hall, along similar lines. Located to the south west of St Ninian's close to the population of Brougham, St Wilfrid's gradually became to the centre of parish worship. 

 

St Ninian's is Grade I listed. It has ceased to be used for regular worship. It was transferred to the care of the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) in 1977.

Churches in the care of the CCT are permitted to be hold a small number of services each year. Services at Ninekirks attract an enthusiastic congregation and many visitors from far and wide. Dogs are welcome and almost always in attendance. We generally use services from the Book of Common Prayer, which seem appropriate to the historic context. One Choral Evensong each year is sung by the Brampton Consort and one by the choir of nearby St Lawrence, Morland. A service of lessons and carols on Christmas Eve at 2pm is a popular way to enjoy the unique setting of St Ninian's. 

The church is open to visitors during all reasonable hours. Access requires a significant walk through arable land and grass footpath and there is a step down into the building. There is no WC.

 

The small car park on the A66 can be found off the eastbound carriageway a short distance after the dual-carriageway comes to an end. It is also possible to park considerately at Hornby Hall (turning a little further to the east along the A66) and walk across two fields from there.

The CCT page for St Ninian's can be found here.