St.Olaf's is the parish church of Wasdale Head. The church itself is of unknown age but probably dates from before the reformation. The earliest reference to the church was made about 1550, when the Bishop of Chester ordered the Parish, together with several others in the neighbourhood, to contribute towards the upkeep of St.Bee's priory, and mention is also made in Eskdale parish records in 1587.

In 1929 Wasdale Head became a joint benefice together with Nether Wasdale. The first vicar was John Featherstone Walton who resided at Nether Wasdale. In 1977 the joint benefice of the Wasdales joined with Gosforth to become under the guidance of Raymond Bowers, the rector at Gosforth. Today it remains the same coming under the guidance of the current vicar Jonathan Falkner who also resides in Gosforth.

The building itself it steeped in history with the roof beam thought to have come from a Viking long boat. The original inhabitants of Wasdale were certainly of Viking descent; the placenames, the folklore and the local dialect all have a Scandinavian origin, and it is to them that we owe the tradition and breed of Herdwick sheep that still roam the fells today. And so it is almost certain that they formed the church and therefore likely they used the only beams available to them in the form of the old ship's timbers.

The main building was restored in 1892 to look like it does today; prior to this date the records show the building to have an earthen floor, few or no seats, a hurdle at the doorway and no glass in the windows (hence the steeply sloping window sills you see today which would have been an attempt to keep the water at bay). Few alterations have been made recently but the south window is a memorial to the FRCC members who lost their lives in the war of 1914-1918, and some roof beams were replaced in 1936. Externally the yew trees have recently been cut back and the slates on the roof on the south side are Honister slate while the north side boasts thicker and older Wasdale slate.

The Churchyard boasts a history of its own, being consecrated in 1901. Prior to this date the dead of the parish would have been carried by pack horse over the Burnmoor Tarn pass to be buried in the graveyard at Boot. The church was named in 1977 after the Viking King Olaf who had repented and turned to Christianity late in his life.

And that is it, in a very brief and abridged fashion! More details and history as well as more of the valley history can be found in the new church book "The Vikings, Wasdale Head & The Church".

The Revd Jonthan Michael Shepherd Falkner

The Rectory
Gosforth
Seascale
Cumbria
CA20 1AZ

019467 25251

falcon@fish.co.uk

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