St John, Skelsmergh

St John
Skelsmergh
Near Kendal
Cumbria

St John's can be found just off the A6, about three miles North of Kendal. The church sits high up above the main road to Shap, and can be seen for miles around. The church we see today was built between 1869 and 1871 to designs by Joseph Bintley, a Westmorland architect who was responsible for a number of buildings in the area.

Above. View of the church from the churchyard to the West.

It is thought that there has been a church on or near this site for many centuries, with some records mentioning a small chapel here in the mid to late 1600's. The antiquarian the Rev Thomas Machell mentions a ruined chapel in his report on the area in 1692 when he also reported on the state of nearby Skelsmergh Hall and its tower.

Above. View of the church from the North.

From the early 17th century the ruined chapel had not been suitable for locals to worship in due its poor state of repair. Most had to travel the three or four miles to Kendal to worship at the Parish church of Holy Trinity. A local group, the Skelsmergh Chapelry Committee was set up in 1870, to promote the building of a church for this outlaying collection of hamlets and farms, and to raise the money required to build their church. A small patch of land was bequeathed to their cause by Mr W F Harrison of Martropps, Near Weybridge, Surrey.

Above. A view of the chance from the nave.

The foundation stone was laid by The Venerable J Cooper on the 5th of May, 1870 only a few months after the committee had set out its plans. The church was complete by 1870, and finally consecrated on the 2nd of November by the Bishop of Carlisle. With the consecration of the church, the new chapelry of Skelsmergh, Scalthwaiterigg and Patton was created, with an estimated congregation of around two hundred worshipers.

Above. A view to the West end of the church.

At around the same time, Joseph Bintley was asked to provide plans for a new vicarage. The land was bequeathed by Mr T. Rogers of Greenside near Milnthorpe. The vicarage was completed by the end of October 1876.

The church has undergone a number of improvements over the years. In 1884 the Committee met again to discuss and plan improvements set forward by the Vicar of Kendal, Rev. R. J. Pearce. A small organ chamber was built on the South side of the church, in order to house an organ built by T. Wilkinson & Sons of Kendal, who's works were situated next to Fry-Days on New Road.

Above. The East window in the chancel, by Heaton, Butler and Payne.

The huge three light window, shown above, was also inserted into the East end of the church at this time (1884) It was presented to the parish by Septimus Norton of Thornleigh, who resided at nearby Skelsmergh Hall, and was a memorial to members of the Thornleigh family.

In 1899 another window was installed, this time in the North wall, as a memorial to John and Frances Morton of Skelsmergh Hall. A war memorial was erected in 1919 and additions were made to it after the end of the Second World War. The church yard was extended in 1950, so as well as the original churchyard on the hill side, there also one over the road to the rear of the church. In 1955, the doorway in the West end of the nave was bricked up, and a new porch was erected in the South Western wall. A window was set in the wall where the door had been. There is a small amount of parking near the church, and as far as I'm aware, the building is left open for inspection.

Check this link for an 1870 ground plan of the church.

The official web site St John's.

St James, Tebay

St James
Tebay
Cumbria

Sandwiched between the M6 motorway and the A685, this small , Medieval looking church can be found at the end of Church Lane. Actually built in 1880, St James was funded entirely by the railway company, North Eastern Railway, and its workers, and was built to designs by C.J. Ferguson.

Up until the building of St James, worshippers would most likely have had to make their way to Orton, a journey of some three miles to the North.

I haven't managed to get inside this church yet, but follow this link for some excellent photos of the memorials and windows contained within.

There's a great deal of additional information about this church here.

Another visit is required to get the obligatory internal photos!

St Michael, Beetham

St Michael
Beetham
Cumbria

St Michael's has a fine collection of stained glass. Here are the majority of the windows in this beautiful Norman church. As information becomes available, it will be posted here.

Above. Window depicting St Elizabeth (far left), the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdelene.

Above. Window depicting St John (left) and St Andrew (right) and dedicated to G.B. Cole, vicar.

Above. The huge East window over the chancel.

Above. Window depicting St George (left) and St Martin (right)

Above. Window depicting St Oswald (left) King Charles (middle) and St Alban (right)

Above. Window depicted to St Osyth (left) St Ethelburga (middle) and St Lioba (right) and dedicated to the memory of John Yeates Thornton, who died in 1859.

Above. I can't read who the window depicts, but it it dedicated to N.D. Hutton, mother of William Hutton, vicar of Beetham, and his daughters G.M. Bannerman and M.T. Hutton.

For more information on the church, go to this link.

St Martin, Bowness on Windermere

St Martin
Bowness on Windermere
Cumbria

St Martins sits a few yards from the lakeside, and sandwiched between Church Street, Fallbarrow Road and St Martin's Place. In the order of things, this beautiful church looks a little out of place here in Bowness, but it echos a past that is hidden from view in the small town that we see today.

It's thought that there has been a church on or near this site since the beginning of the 1200's, probably originating as a chapel under All Saints in Kendal. This original building was burnt down towards the end of the 1400's (possibly around 1480) and of this church, only the lower portion of the tower survive.

The church was rebuilt about a year later (1483?) and it is this rebuilt church that provides us with the basic layout of the building we see today. The walls of the North aisle, and the walls of the South aisle, as well as the upper portions of the tower all date from this rebuild, as do the piers separating the nave from the North and South aisles. The chancel, chapel and vestry at the East end of the church and the saddle back roof of the tower, all date from the 1870 Paley and Austin restoration.

St Martin's website.

Holy Trinity, Skipton

Holy Trinity
Skipton
North Yorkshire

The steely grey church of Holy Trinity sits to the South of Skipton Castle, literally a stones throw from the Castle's walls and at the junction of Mill Bridge and The Bailey. The best place to park is in the main town car park, as there is little available parking near to the church.

There has been a church here, on this very site, since sometime in the 1100's, probably sited where the present day church's tower stands. It was rebuilt in the early 1300's, possibly of stone, replacing the earlier building.

Above. A view of the church looking North. If you look closely, you will see a knight clad in chain mail (to the right of the photo!!!)

In the latter part of the 1400's, the church was extended, possibly financed by a gift from Richard III. The building was extended to the East, making the nave longer, and probably adding a new, larger chancel.

Above. Royal arms.

The church was inevitably damaged during the Civil War, its close proximity to the castle its downfall. There were cannon batteries to the North West of the castle, high on the hill, and also to the South. The castle was besieged for several months, during which it came under intense fire from these positions around the town. The church was in the line of fire on many occasions and by the end of the siege was in a perilous state. By the time Lady Anne Clifford inherited her estates and castles, Skipton was still garrisoned by Royalist troops and still under siege. When the siege was finally lifted, the castle was in such a state of disrepair that it was uninhabitable. She was allowed to rebuild the castle from its semi-demolished state, on the condition that its roofs were not strong enough to mount cannon on.....a stipulation made by Oliver Cromwell directly to Lady Anne. At the same time that she rebuilt the castle, she also restored the church, furnishing it and providing it with a number of windows, some of which are shown below.

Above. Window depicting St Aiden (left) St Hilda (middle) and St Cuthbert (right) and dedicated to Thomas Stockdale, William Bell, Mary Ann Bell and Margaret Bell. It was gifted by Augusta Ada Stockdale in 1927.

Above. Window depicting St Michael, and dedicated to J.B. Rawson(?) master of Skiption School, who died in 1899.

Above. Window dedicated to George Kendall, and gifted by his brother and sister, Welbury and Elizabeth Kendall.

Above. The huge East window over the chancel.

Above and below. Some of the small Clifford windows.

It's likely that the repairs on the church were finished before the repairs on the castle...such was her devout religious faith. Lady Anne divided her time between Appleby, Brougham and the castle here at Skipton in her latter years....so the church would have been a special place for her. Indeed, as Skipton castle was her birthplace, her return there plus the work and money she endowed on the rebuilding, was probably no surprise to those around her.

The church is a celebration of the Clifford family, with tombs and windows from Lady Anne's period, and from that of her ancestors. Another visit is required to get some more internal photos of this church.

Skipton Web

Holy Trinity Skipton

There's some great information here, regarding both the castle and the church.

St Mary Magdalene, Broughton in Furness

St Mary Magdalene
Broughton In Furness
Cumbria

I know I know...not great external photos of the church....but it's one of those difficult buildings to photograph due to the trees surrounding it. St Mary's can be found to the West of Broughton in Furness, hidden at the end of a leafy lane off Church Street.

Check the links for photos of the church in the 1890's. Photo 1 Photo 2 A church, on or near this site, may have been established in the mid 1500's, though some elements of today's church may be 'late Norman'...namely the South doorway. The current look of the church is due to a period of expansion and rebuilding that took place in 1873, undertaken by Paley and Austin of Lancaster.

Above. View of the West tower.

Above. View of the clock on the East face of the tower.

Above. Spes, by Edward Burnes-Jones. To be found in the South aisle.

The window entitled Spes....was originally made by Morris and Company for Christ Church in Oxford in 1870. This particular window was installed in Home of the Good Samaritan in Redcar, and when the building was demolished, the window was brought to Broughton in 1948. The dedication reads "In memory of the Rev John Postlethwaite M.A. of (too faded to read) Broughton In Furness, Died 1886, and Isabella his wife, Died 1876........"

Above. A window with the dedication "Sacred to the memory of the Latham family, A.D. 1875" on a brass memorial below.

Above. Window with a latin inscription, mentioning the Rawlinson family.

This is a remarkable window. The amount of detail visible in the men's footwear, and the angels wings stood behind them is amazing.

Above. Window with the dedication "To the glory of god and in loving memory of Frederic Amadeus Malleson M.A. Vicar of Broughton in Furness from MDCCCXX to MDCCCXCVII Dedicated by his family and friends."

Above. Window with the inscription "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary".

If any more information comes to light regarding any of these beautiful windows, I'll post the information here. The church appears to be open for inspection, though parking is scarce so you'll probably need to leave your car in the village.