Grave stones of Holy Trinity\Kendal Parish Church, Kendal

Grave stones of Holy Trinity\Kendal Parish Church

Kendal

Cumbria

As Holy Trinity is my local Parish church (so to speak) I think it's only fair that it receives the odd return visit. I've decided to categorise certain aspects of the church, as it's full of important and interesting memorials, carvings, furniture and other items, that all point to Kendal's rich past and the people that have populated that past.

First off, I thought that I'd look at the gravestones that remain at Holy Trinity. The majority...in fact most of them have now been removed from their original laying places. The following set of post cards clearly show that the view of the church we see today, is not the same as would have been seen in years past.

The above undated card (from a personal collection) clearly shows two paths running through the church yard (as today) but there are a few table tombs still in situ either side of the path.

The above undated card (from a personal collection) also shows a large number of tomb stones still standing in the church yard to the West of the tower.

The above undated card (from a personal collection) shows a view of the church from across the River Kent, looking West. Behind the railings quite a few tomb stones, both headstones and table tombs, can still be seen. This view today is very different....with only three standing tomb stones remaining (see below)

Another undated card (from a personal collection) also shows a large number of tomb stones in the churchyard. This must be an earlier view than the first card shown here, as there is only the one path leading to the West face of the church.

These days, as shown below, all the tomb stones from the West side of the church, have been removed from their original places, and set into an area to the North of the church. Here they have been laid out in a mosaic. The majority of them are badly damaged, worn by the weather and no doubt by people walking on them. There is a complete list of memorials that have survived outside the church at this link Memorials at Kendal Parish church.

Some of them tomb stones have been re-used to top off the walls that separate the South side of the church from the nearby car park. Their carved memorials no longer make any sense as they have been cut down to fit the tops of the wall.

To the East of the church, only three tomb stones survive. The first one, shown below, is dedicated to Robert Hind of Kendal. Robert was a Freemason, as shown by the open bible with the square and compass resting in its pages. Apparently the tomb stone was erected in his memory by 'the Brethren'.

The second stone, is dedicated to various members of the Bolton family. Hellen, her husband Samuel, Mary their daughter and Thomas their son.

Lastly, a tomb stone dedicated to Christopher Taylor, Alice Catherine their daughter and Mary, wife to Adam Taylor.

The dozens of gravestones to the North of the church are well worth exploring. Many are still readable, whilst others are damaged and too worn to see the inscriptions. There are also a huge number of memorials and plaques within the church, some of which will be included here later.

St John the Baptist, Chester

St John the Baptist
Chester

The strange remains of St John the Baptist can be found sandwiched between the Roman Amphitheatre (to the North West) and the River Dee (to the South) in the city of Chester. At first glance, the church appears to be a Victorian building.....red sandstone and fairly unobtrusive. On closer inspection however, the full visual clout of this fantastic church becomes evident. It would appear that the Victorian church is sandwiched between two portions of a much earlier building, in ruins, but still standing to some great height.

The above photo shows a view of the Victorian church, looking West through the medieval ruins.

The church consists of masonry from an impressive number of building periods....11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 19th centuries, with some 20th century additions. The walk around the rear of the church, to the South of the building, offers the best view of the original Norman and medieval portions of the still standing ruins.

The above photo shows the Victorian church through one of the medieval arches.

It is thought that before 1066 and the Norman invasion of Britain, a Saxon church stood on this site. The Saxon church was founded by King Aetherlred, King of Mercia, sometime in the late 680's. Local legends tell of the King dreaming that he was instructed by God, to erect a place of worship wherever he saw a white hind....and consequently, whilst out hunting, the King saw a white hind on this spot, thus building the church. The church was rebuilt and extended in the early part of the 10th century, by the Earl of Mercia, with a stone structure probably replacing the earlier wooden building.

The above photo shows the Victorian church where it joins onto the medieval ruins.

In 1075, Peter de Leia, Bishop of Lichfield, began the building of a cathedral on the site of Aethelred's church. It's somewhat odd that the Bishop chose to place his new cathedral outside the protection of the city walls. The cathedral was laid out with two low towers to the West, a central tower (now long gone) transepts, aisles, a nave and numerous chantry chapels. The Bishop died in 1082 before he could see his great work completed. Building work seems to have ceased, and the cathedral remained unfinished for many years. Peter's successor, Robert de Limesey, was more heavily involved with Coventry's monastery, and only occasionally visited Chester. It appears the work begin again until around 1190.....and it would not be until the latter part of the 13th century, that the cathedral approached a state of completeness.

The above photo shows a wooden coffin mounted in a niche. Whether this is original or not, I'm not sure. I think the text reads "Dust to Dust"!

In the mid 1300's, the building was in a poor state of repairs, being described as "comely and sumptuous fabric constructed of stone and wood of great breadth and length, but the same being ancient and decayed, repair was necessary or it would fall into irrevocable ruin" (thanks to www.chesterwalls.info) It probably came as no surprise when the nearby abbey of St Werburgh took over as Chester's cathedral.

The above photo shows a view of the ruins looking West towards the park.

St John's seems to have suffered a number of disastrous collapses: The huge central tower, of which no remains survive, fell down in 1468 and 1572, followed by the collapse of the Western tower in 1574. When the Western tower collapsed, it also took four bays of the Norman nave. The West tower was rebuilt in the 16th century, but once again fell down on Good Friday 1881, completely demolishing the porch.

The above photo shows the lower portion of the Western tower. The window probably dates from the 14th century. The tower is joined to the Victorian church by medieval walls, badly weather worn and eroded.

The tower, shown above, was used as a cannon battery during the siege of Chester by Parliamentarian forces. Its position outside the City walls, gave the besiegers direct line of sight upon both Thimbleby's Tower and the two gates here....Newgate and the Wolf gate. The tower was lucky to survive the period leading up to the attack, as the commander of the defending Royalist army had ordered many buildings outside of the city walls to be demolished thereby denying the attackers any cover....this order included the Western tower of St Johns. As it turned out, luckily for us, hardly any building in this area was demolished under these instructions.

The above photo shows a view of the East end of the church. The Victorian building can be seen above and through the arches of the ruins.

The church was occupied by the Parliamentarian forces for a period of around five months, during which time it was transformed into a virtual fortress. It must have been a difficult place to be, laying less than two hundred yards from the city walls. It was reported that, when the townsfolk were allowed back into their church, it was in a poor state of repair, with all its furniture and memorials demolished, defaced or removed. The tower eventually collapsed in 1881.

The above photo shows a view inside the Eastern end of the church, looking towards the park.

The church is considered to be one of Europe's finest surviving examples of Norman architecture, and its Grade I listing reflects this. Unfortunately it was locked in preparation for a service when I visited, so a return visit is required.

The above photo shows the rear of the Victorian portion of the church. The medieval tower lays to the left of the photo, hidden behind the trees.

Now reduced to the roll of a parish church, St John's is a fine example of Norman, Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture. R.C. Hussey and John Douglas were responsible for the fine building sandwiched between the sandstone ruins of the once important cathedral, and their work has survived very well. Check out the Diocese of Chester website for further information www.parishofchester.com

St Oswald, Thornton in Lonsdale

St Oswald
Thornton in Lonsdale
Nr Ingleton
North Yorkshire

The church where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was married, St Oswald's can be found in Thornton in Lonsdale, about a mile to the West of Ingleton. This tiny collection of houses, a pub and the church, lay at the head of the valley through which the River Doe runs, eventually merging with the River Twiss in the middle of Ingleton.

The church was largely rebuilt between 1933 and 1935 after it was gutted by fire, but the fabric is basically original. The West tower dates from the 15th century, and does not seem to have been damaged by the 1933 fire. It has a spiral staircase in the North West wall, as evidenced by the tiny windows up the right hand wall of the tower, seen in the photo below.

The original rebuilt church, dating from about 1870, was built to designs by Austin and Paley of Lancaster. This firm of architects operated from Lancaster between 1836 and 1942. A good list of their Cumbrian works can be found at Visit Cumbria. Details of other incarnations of the company can also be found here, at Wikipedia.

What remains of the village stocks are to be found against the wall of the church.

The church is not open daily. There is plenty of parking nearby to investigate the church yard and the village of Thornton-in-Lonsdale.

St Anne, Thwaites

St Anne
Thwaites
Nr Millom
Cumbria

This rather modern looking church lays at the junction of the A595 and the A5093, about six miles North of Millom. Built in 1807, it replaced an earlier chapel built in 1721 which was becoming too dangerous for the local congregation to use. A collection of £200 was raised from the local population to pay for the replacement church, along with a grant of £800 from Queen Annes bounty and a private donation of £100. In 1825, a government grant of £1000 was given, which enabled the local parishioners to finish the building.

In 1757, in the original chapel, a library was founded....containing 48 books and pamphlets. This gift to the local parish, was provided by Dr Bray. The church is unfortunately screened by a few trees....so it's very difficult to get a clean shot of the building.

There is no parking here, and the church is kept locked except at services.Check the following link for some information on Queen Anne and Queen Anne's Bounty.

St Gregory, Vale of Lune Nr Sedbergh

St Gregory
Vale of Lune
Nr Sedbergh
Cumbria

This small church lays at the side of the A684, some two and half miles West of Sedbergh. Built in 1850 as a mission chapel to nearby Ingmire Hall (for the navvies engaged in building the nearby Ingleton branch railway) the church is now Grade II listed.

It was paid for by the Upton family of nearby Ingmire Hall, who also provided a scripture reader to ensure that the navvies, being so far from home, did not miss out on their spiritual well being! The church contains amongst others, three beautiful William Morris designed stained glass windows, beautifully placed to make full use of the light airy interior of the church.

Fortitude.

Justice.

Peace.

This window is perhaps the best placed of the three, sitting as it does in the north wall of the church. It is plainly visible from the far South end of the church, and if the light hits it just right, it lights the porch up.

There are a number of other stained glass windows in the church (not shown here) by Frederick George Simon, installed in 1900, and showing rivers, animals and fell scenes. The woodwork (pews and wall panels) were all by Waring and Gillow of Lancaster.

View of the interior of the church, looking South towards the chancel.

The photo above shows the lantern built into the ceiling, with six windows in each side. This feature allows loads of light into the church, making it a bright and airy building to be in.

A view of the interior of the church looking North towards the porch. The window Peace, can just be seen in the porch wall.

View of the North end of the church. It's exterior simplicity hides the treasure trove of windows and woodwork to be found inside. There is little available parking nearby, and due to the narrow busy main road nearby, care must be taken when parking. The church is open daily, and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

St Mary, Walney Island

St Mary
Walney Island
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria

St Mary's church lays directly opposite the West end of Jubilee Bridge on Walney Island. It is a huge grey building with a red roof, visible from across Walney Channel. The original church of St Mary was founded on Walney in 1568, though this original building no longer survives. The church we see today was started in 1907, with the foundation stone laid by Archbishop Maclagan. The church was dedicated in 1908, but not completed until around 1930. This newer building was built next to its predecessor, which was erected between 1852\1853. The size of the congregation on Walney forced the local population to seek a bigger building. For a while, both old and new churches existed side by side, with the older church eventually being dismantled. The corner stones of this mid 19th century building can still be seen in the church yard today, marking the spot where it once stood.

View of the rear of the church, looking South.

View of the church looking from the East.

The church is kept locked at all times, though the church yard is open to wander around.

St John, Ulpha

St John
Ulpha
Cumbria

This beautiful white washed church can be found about six miles North of Broughton in Furness, on Bobbin Mill Lane next to the River Duddon. The church lays in a kink in the road, and has had its yard cut in half by the lane. This is a grade II listed building, probably built in the later part of the 16th century. There doesn't appear to be an exact date for its erection or consecration, but there is mention of a church on or near this site as far back as the 13th century.

The church seen today is a simple, single celled building, with the nave and chancel open to each other. The tiny bell cote contains two bells....as shown below.

Probably the most interesting feature to be found inside church, are the wall paintings, re-discovered in 1934 when the white wash was removed.

The photos above, show a small fleur-de-lys at the top, a floral pattern again with a fleur-de-lys and some writing, and lastly, some lettering topped with another fleur-de-lys.

The photo above, shows more of the wall paintings uncovered in 1934. The top two are self explanatory, and are probably memorials to parishioners buried here. The third one down may well be another memorial, though so little of this one has survived its impossible to say. The last one is reputedly the remains of Queen Anne's Royal Coat of Arms....a golden lion can just been seen at the top of the painting. Why the wall paintings were white washed will probably never be known....but at least some of them have been found and preserved.

The above photo shows a view towards the East end of the church and the small three light window, probably dating from the 17th century.

The photo above shows the beautiful trussed ceiling, which consists of many original 17th century timbers.

Another view of the bell cote at the West end of the church.

Check this link for some great photos of the church. There is a small area for parking nearby, and the church is kept unlocked for inspection.