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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Cumberland Lookup Requests => Cumberland => England => Cumberland Completed Lookups => Topic started by: Lofty Matlot on Wednesday 07 November 07 15:04 GMT (UK)
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I am looking for information about a chapel once situated on the shore hills at Workington.
I read in a book that in 1929 this chapel still existed .No one seems to know anything about it.
Apparently it was visable to shipping in the Solway. It was named How Michael
Regards
Lofty Matlot
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Hi Lofty Matlot,
Welcome to RootsChat :)
While waiting for someone local to help you better, I've found this on google
http://www.stevebulman.f9.co.uk/cumbria/1901/work1901_f.html
About a mile from Workington, towards Harrington there is an old building, generally known as the Old Chapel, and called by mariners How Michael. Pennant thinks that it was originally "a watch tower to mark the inroads of the Scots in their naval inroads. Others, that it was a Chantry Chapel dating from the reign of Elizabeth. However this may be, it is still useful to mariners, from its conspicuous situation on the high land near the shore, as a landmark. It is used as a magazine by the Artillery Corps, who have a battery for practice close to.
and http://www.stevebulman.f9.co.uk/cumbria/workington_f.html
About a mile S.W. of the town is an ancient roofless building, known as the old chapel, or the How Michael, already mentioned. This probably has been the chantry chapel (with some land) which was granted by queen Elizabeth to Percival Gunson and John Soukey, and described as "three acres of land called Chapel Flatt, &c." The building, which forms a prominent object along the coast, is still useful as a land mark to mariners; and there is a tradition that it was formerly surrounded by the sea.
:)
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Hi Lofty Matlot,
Welcome to RootsChat :)
(Just deleted some stuff Tati has already posted)
there was also a mention of an image, but that seems to be just the list, not the image itself:
http://homepages.tesco.net/~trochos/workpixlist.htm
HTH,
Bob
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Hi Lofty,
Does this throw any light on the subject?
"In the fields between Workington and Harrington,
about a mile from the former town, is an
ancient roofless building, generally known as the
Old Chapel, and called by mariners How Michael.
Pennant mentions having noticed " on an eminence
near the sea, a small tower, called Holme-
Chapel, said to have been built as a watch-tower,
to mark the motions of the Scots in their naval
inroads:" but it is much more probable that it
has been, as its name imports, the chantry chapel •
which was granted (with some land) by Queen
Elizabeth, in the 17th year of her reign, to Per-
cival Gunson and John Soukey, and described as "
three acres of land called Chapel Flatt, in
Workington, and also one chapel, together with
one acre of land there." There is a tradition that
the sea formerly flowed round this building. The
masonry is rude: the ground floor is arched; and
a narrow winding staircase, sufficient only for the
passage of one person, leads to the upper floor.
The windows are narrow loopholes, excepting
two on the land side, which are of larger dimension,
but destitute of all ornament. The building
is useful to mariners as a land-mark; from its
conspicuous situation on a high land near the
shore it forms a prominent object along the coast."
link (http://books.google.com/books?id=6GMvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=%22how+michael%22+chapel+cumberland&source=web&ots=9_l9SEeJJQ&sig=w2lJOnsux2eiBc-8IgNwyNIsQXs)
source: an extract from Google books - The History and Antiquities of Allerdale Ward, Above Derwent, in Cumberland. by Samuel Jefferson. (wonder if he was related to Stan Laurel from Laurel & Hardy?)
Regards
Rewcastle
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I played in the tower (Howe Michael) as a boy in 1953. In fact my friend Nick Carter tied a navy signal flare parachute, to his leather belt and parachuted off the top.
The cloud of dust took some time to settle, when it did he was out cold with a broken leg.
Six years later I ducked out of being transferred to the Airborne - I wonder why.
The Tower was about 36 foot high, of two stories, about twelve foot wide made of sandstone with a crenallated top. It was buried by slag from the Workington Iron & Steel Co in about 1960.
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the only photo I have been able to find..
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Many thanks to Downie for the photo of How Michael. I have lived in Workingto for the best part of my 83 years but can never ever remember seeing this
building. I clearly remember Chapel Bank farm and Irvings horse drawn
hearse and carriages
Lofty Matlot
Moderator Comment: topics merged
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I too am from Workington but live 'down under' and this is the first of How Michael that I've heared of.Very interesting and a picture to boot.
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This might locate the tower/site for the Ex Pats.
There was a large wooden water cooling tower on the shore hills it stood about 180 yards north of Howe Michael.
Both the tower and Howe Michael were swallowed up by the British Steel's Slag Bank.