Wednesday 12 May 2010

Stained glass at St Mary, Great Urswick

Stained glass
St Mary
Great Urswick
Cumbria

Great Urswick's church of St Mary is a gem of a building, with a fantastic collection of windows, many with family arms that I don't have a hope of identifying.

Above. A window with the arms of some of Urswick's local families.

Above. Another window with local family arms, surrounded by pale fleur-de-lis. The armorial shield at the bottom on the left, is the Harrington coat of arms.

Above. A window showing Christ after the crucifixion....I can't make out the writing in the scrolls at the top of the window as the photo is slightly over exposed.

Above. The tiny lancet window, so local tradition has it, contains glass from Furness Abbey.

Above. Two splendid family arms, one (on the left) looking decidedly Royal.

Above. Another slightly over exposed photo, again, prevents me from seeing what the dedication says.

Above. A window dedicated to the memory of Isabella Ashburner, who died in March 1822, aged 51 years.

Above. A beautiful window dedicated to the memory of Thomas Storey of Edge Hill, who was a church warden at St Mary. The window was gifted by his widow, Elizabeth Jane in 1931.

Above. If I remember rightly, this wonderful window is hidden in one of the walls in the gallery. Simple but very pretty.

Visiting the church seems to be actively encouraged, and I would recommend a visit. The building is beautiful, and the grounds are also well worth checking out.

Stained glass at St Cuthberts, Great Salkeld

Stained glass at St Cuthbert
Great Salkeld
Cumbria

The beautiful church of St Cuthbert in the village of Great Salkeld has an excellent collection of stained glass windows. I think they're all here, shown below. A brief description is also shown here, where information is available.

Above. Two simple windows.

Above. A window, possibly depicting the Last Supper.

Above. A window appearing to depict Jesus healing the sick and needy.

Above. The East window in the chancel.

Above. A window dedicated to J.S. Mulcaster Rector of the church, and dedicated in 1866 in celebration of the restoration of the chancel. The window depicts a version of the Mulcaster family arms, although all other versions showed a black diagonal band cutting the shield in half, not a blue band.

Above. A window dedicated to William Nicholson.

Above. A window with the Lowther family arms. Beneath, obscured by plants on the window sill, a dedication to William Henry Lowther, Major General, who died in 1912 (Wikipedia page on William Henry Lowther)

Above. St Cuthbert by Powell of Whitefriars. Note the depiction of Lindesfarne castle to the right of St Cuthbert, and the arms of Lindesfarne to his left.

Above. A window dedicated to the memory of Caroline Sanderson, and dated 1870.

Above. A window depicting Jesus with the children. Unfortunately the dedication is obscured by plants on the window sill.

Above. A window depicting the Resurrection. The quote reads "Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept" The dedication beneath is to Mary and Robert Thompson of Inglewood. The window was dedicated by their children in 1908

For information on the fortified aspects of this church, check this link out.

Saturday 8 May 2010

St Mary, Ambleside

St Mary
Ambleside
Cumbria

Situated at the end of Vicarage Drive on the West side of Ambleside, St Mary's is a very imposing church.....visible from all the high points of the village. Built by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott between 1850 and 1854, it is a good representation of the 'Early Decorated' style of architecture. Sir Giles' Wikipedia page has a good list of all the buildings he was responsible for.

Above. A view of the church from Rothay Road to the South.

St Mary's is one of the few Lake District churches to have a spire. It is not listed as such, but has a B status, meaning that it is important locally and should be protected as far as possible.

Unfortunately on the day I visited it was being worked on, both externally and internally, so I was unable to collect any photos of the interior. Visit Cumbria has a good page on the church, including some photos of the interior.

Above. Looking along Kelsick Road towards the church.

Check the link for further information on this church, and Holy Trinity at Brathay, and Ambleside Parish Centre.

Market Cross, Ambleside

Market Cross
Ambleside
Cumbria

This simple market cross can be found in front of the Salutation Hotel on Rydal Road in Ambleside. It is a grade II listed structure, and consists of a fairly recent\modern three stepped base, with an octagonal shaft. The original head has obviously been broken off at some point, and the square end has been placed on the end of the shaft.

There seems to be very little information regarding this cross....so as usual, as soon as more information becomes available, I'll post it here.