Kirkland, Lancashire
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| Kirkland | |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | |
The 18th-century dial post.
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country | England |
| Primary council | Wyre |
| County | Lancashire |
| Region | North West England |
| Status | Parish |
| Population (2011 Census)[1] | |
| • Total | 840 |
Kirkland is a civil parish located on the banks of the River Wyre midway between Preston and Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. It is also the historic name of what is now the village of Churchtown within the parish. It is part of the Wyre district.
Kirkland has a long history centred on its Grade I listed building, St Helen's, the parish church of Garstang St Helen (or Churchtown) and once known as the Cathedral of the Fylde. The church includes: -
- a "lepers' window" or "squint" to enable those unfortunates an opportunity to attend its services;
- a grave marker for the village's only victim of the Black Plague;
- a large rafter, once known as the "new beam", supposedly presented to the parish by King Henry VIII at the time of the Reformation.
There are significant pointers such as a circular churchyard with several yew trees to its original use as a Druid temple. It was believed by some that the area may have been the site where Christian missionaries from Ireland first set foot in Lancashire at the end of the navigational portion of the River Wyre which flows to the Irish Sea some 14 miles away. St Helen's is one of only two Grade I listed buildings in the Borough of Wyre.[2]
Although known as "The Cross", the village has an 18th-century Grade II listed dialpost with a sundial at its head, at the top of Church Street. There are two pubs: the Punchbowl and the Horns Inn.
See also
References
External links
- Map sources for Kirkland, Lancashire - using the name Churchtown
- Lancashire Churches
- Lancashire parish portal
- A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 Pages: 313-15
- A History of the County of Lancaster: St Helen's Church, Kirkland
