We have a small chapel or church here in the hamlet - well, on top of the hill - overlooking Mosser and with far reaching views all the way to the Solway and Scotland. It holds ca 55 people seated and a few standing - a small, intimate venue for the occasional service, wedding celebration or live gig!
A bit about St Michael's
The church of St Michael was originally built in the 16th century and dedicated to St Philipp. Later, the church fell into disrepair due to a dwindling congregation (the Quakers were strong in these parts and the Church of England congregation small). In fact, many local houses or gardens reused stones or timber from the original chapel-we have part of the baptismal font built into a garden wall, for instance. When the church was rebuilt around 1773, it was dedicated to St Michael, the name and congregation of St Philipp having moved towards Eaglesfield in the intervening years. It was last restored in 1925 and kitted out, at the time, with fancy modern gaslighting-the method of lighting to this day. The church is not connected to any services , electric or water, which is part of its charm. There is still a tangible feeling of age and friendliness in spite of its isolated and exposed location, qualities that have made this under-serviced building such a special attraction for over a hundred enthusiastic worshipers each Christmas - although it pays to bring blankets for anything other than summer events, as the building is also unheated.
A music venue
Recently, the church warden, Don, has tried to increase use of the building by opening it up to local musicians to perform small concerts.
The lack of utilities does lend itself to acoustic or unplugged performances - not reliant on electricity for amplification, and with such intimacy between performer and audience, that the audience can and will hold their breath when the performers' song or poem demands silence to shine.
We've had Quickbeam from Lorton perform here in the autumn and again on May Day, together with local musician friends. And just this past weekend, Ewan Scarlett (Lamplugh), JP Worsfold (Keswick) and Little Sparrow (Manchester) performed a gig here - a fantastic experience, everyone agreed.
Little Sparrow, aka Katie Ware, has a great vocal range that has been compared to Kate Bush. The delivery of her songs is heart felt, and she's funny too, when she talks about the inspiration for her song writing. Check out her album 'The Wishing Tree' and also the more recent singles 'Tears' and 'Alone'. 'Tears' was probably the audience's favourite of the night, so hauntingly delivered by Katie and just accompanied by a single guitar.
JP Worsfold, or Jordan, performed with his Band of Gold which included guitar, cello and a keyboard/piano (presumably battery operated!). A fantastic sound cloud, and thoughtful and at times haunting lyrics.
Ewan Scarlett, a musician from Lamplugh, completed the set on Saturday night. He played some Blue Grass inspired music. Again great local talent, catch him when you can.
Next up
And so, the next concert has already been lined up at St Michael's Mosser- on Friday 7th July, JP Worsfold will return to play, together with Anne-Marie Sanderson, and Mr Novembre. Bring yourself, bring a drink, a blanket, and enjoy the special unplugged atmosphere at the Fell Church. It's worth it!
And we currently have availability for that weekend, so stay at Penny End if you are travelling from further afield- start your weekend with some great music and then spend your days hiking our local hills or visiting nearby Loweswater, Crummock Water or indeed the coast. See the website for details.
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