Church of St Paul, Rusland

Rusland was part of the parish of Colton, a sparsely populated district between Windermere and Coniston. A chapel of ease was built to serve the local population and was consecrated on 29 June 1745 by the Bishop of Chester, in whose Diocese this area then belonged. In 1868, the main part of this building was demolished, leaving only the west tower and foundations. As part of the rebuilding, the tower was raised by about 15 feet, and the church was extended to the east to form the present chancel. (This extension was over part of the old churchyard; and the arch over a grave slab covering a family tomb can be seen on the south wall).

In the churchyard there are graves of George Romney’s wife and other members of the family, and the ashes of the author Arthur Ransome, of Swallows and Amazons fame, and Eugenia his wife.

In 2025 it was reported that masonry has fallen from the tower at the western end of St Paul's Church,Rusland, past which a public footpath passes and there appears an ongoing likelihood that further stonework might fall onto the footpath before repair works can be undertaken to make it stable. The Secretary of State has extended the temporary closure order for the affected section of the footpath until 23 April 2026, or until works to make the church tower safe are complete, whichever is the earlier. The order may be further extended with the authorisation of the Secretary of State. Alternative routes are available passing through the churchyard around the eastern end of the church using the unaffected sections of the footpath and other paths within the churchyard. 

Sructural reports are awaited but there appears the possibility that the church will have to close permanently, given its remoteness and the size of the congregation - services were held monthly before the fall of masonry.