TALES of a Cumbrian Parson, by John Hodgkinson (Little Trinity Publishing, £3.50).

HALF-a-century after first glimpsing the red sandstone walls of Penrith, the Rev Canon John Hodgkinson has written a highly entertaining book about his years as assistant curate of St Andrew's Church, Penrith, and vicar of Kendal Parish Church.

His lively recollections are concise and amusing, sprinkled with character sketches and enlivened by snatches of dialect.

He first arrived in Penrith in 1953, and the home he

shared with wife Jean, baby daughter Catherine and Aunty the cat was the chilly, former servants' quarters of a rambling old house on Friargate.

The curate's study was an 18th century room that he could not afford to heat, so he would cocoon himself in a cassock and heavy cloak.

The author recalls the characters he met in Penrith, such as Sally Blades, a rather cantankerous old lady who spent her latter years in a garret; and the Rolls Royce-driving vicar of Wigton, the Rev Ford, father of newsreader Anna Ford.

After three years the Hodgkinson family, now joined by son David, headed off in their motorcycle and sidecar to Lincolnshire. Fifteen years later, they came to Kendal Parish Church, where the author was vicar until 1990.

He mentions the special features of the church, including the helmet left by Robin the Devil during the Civil War, and even the tankard of beer from the nearby Ring O'Bells pub, sealed into the wall by a mason.

Memorable services are recalled and characters described, such as former mayor Bert Newman, who loved Gauloise cigarettes, and Judge Sandy Temple, who brought a donkey to church to lead a Palm Sunday procession.

Mr Hodgkinson's book concludes with a thanksgiving for the life of the late John Pickthall, of Bradley Farm, Hincaster, a magistrate and renowned raconteur.

l Tales of a Cumbrian Parson is due to be launched this Sunday, May 25, at Kendal Parish Church, and at Penrith Parish Church on June 15.

The book costs £3.50 (postage free) from Little Trinity Publishing, Boxtree Barn, Levens, Cumbria, LA8 8NZ, with all proceeds going to the parish churches of Penrith and Kendal.

Rachel Kitchen.

May 22, 2003 11:00