Carlisle, St Cuthberts

St Cuthberts
Carlisle
Cumbria

Above. St Cuthberts....the shyest church I've ever seen.

Above. Looking into the Chancel from the Nave.

Above. Looking into the Nave with its galleries.

Above. The Chancel and East window.

Above. St Cuthberts from Blackfriar Street.

Above. St Cuthberts from further down Blackfriar Street.

News flash - Kendal Town Council announce bid to have Kendal Parish church raised to Minster status

Kendal Town Council have announced a bid to have Kendal Parish church raised to Minster status. This move, if successful, would raise Kendal's parish church to the same status as York Minster for example, and place it amongst 44 other 'Greater' churches nationally.

If the bid is successful, and it's currently with the Bishop of Carlisle for his deliberation, Kendal's Parish church will join the likes of Westminster in London, Beverly Minster, Ripon Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral and of course, the mighty York Minster. To be amongst such illustrious company can only be a good thing for Kendal and the South Lakeland area as a whole, and would certainly be befitting of such a fantastic building, built on such a grand scale and possessing a multitude of important architectural details and furnishings. 

Check the Westmorland Gazette's story out for more information.

Casterton, Holy Trinity

Casterton
Holy Trinity
Cumbria

Holy Trinity was built between 1831 and 1833 after being commissioned by the Rev. William Carus Wilson. It is thought likely that the church was built to designs laid down by Kendal architect George Webster, with the tiny, out of proportion, chancel built to designs by Lancaster architect E.G. Paley in 1860.

This is a church of strange proportions....indeed the chancel is a strange addition to the end of the nave, and Nikolaus Pevsner, the famous historical architect, stated that he considered the tower to be 'undersized'. It's certainly not one of George Webster's most inspiring creations, especially when compared to churches in nearby Kendal such as St George on Castle Street and St George and Holy Trinity on New Road, with their large interiors and towering spires. 

The interior of the church contains some important items, unfortunately not seen on my visit. The reredos date from 1897, and were designed by Austin and Paley of Lancaster, and there is some stained glass in the baptistry dating from 1884, and created by Shrigley and Hunt. There is also a composition of wall paintings and stained glass in the Chancel, created between 1893 and 1899 by pre-raphaelite painter Henry Holiday....famous for being commissioned by Lewis Carroll in 1874, to illustrate his story, The Hunting of the Snark. The Nave contains paintings by James Clark, and created over 7 years between 1905 and 1912. The church was closed when I visited back in 2007, so a fresh visit will be required at some point in the future, especially to photograph the wealth of treasure within.

News - St Mary and St Michael welcomes home oldest chimable bell in UK.

News - St Mary and St Michael in Great Urswick has welcomed home two of its bells. One is the Harrington bell, rumoured to have been cast sometime around 1420, whilst the second bell has been retuned and re-installed. See the full story here.

For photos of the church, see this page on the Cumbrian Churches blog.

Temple Sowerby, St James

St James
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria

Surprisingly, I don't seem to be able to confirm if St James' is a listed building or not. The church was built in 1754, and extended in 1770. 

Above. Looking into the Chancel from the Nave.

Above. Looking into the Nave.

Above. The East\Chancel window showing the crucifixion, by Powell of Whitefriars.

Above. The Annunciation by Powell of Whitefriars.

Above. The mark of Powell of Whitefriars.

Check out this website for more information about these famous and much sought after glass artists.

Long Marton, St Margaret and St James

St Margaret and St James

Long Marton

Cumbria

This is a beautiful squat, solid looking church, with some very interesting and intriguing items. The West tower is mostly 12th century, with draw bar slots and huge leaded holes where hinges for a heavy door would have hung. The West wall of the Nave, the North wall and most of the South wall are all 12th century. The North and South walls of the Chancel also date from this period, whilst the vestry and the far East of the Chancel were added in the 14th century.

Above. Tympanum above the door in the tower, and Saxon carved tiles (light altered to show carvings)

It's likely that the beautifully carved typmanum over the tower door is of Norman origin (possibly late 12th century) whilst the rectangular tiles below could be of Saxon origin (pre-1066)

Above. Tympanum above the South door.

Above. Ink drawings of the two tympana at Long Marton's church.

The print (above) shows the carvings in better detail, as they're quite well worn now.

Above. Three bells stored on the ground floor of the tower.

Above. The surviving strong box.

Above. Possible altar table.

Above. Grave slab reused as a window lintel in the Chancel.

The sedilia and piscina in the Chancel all date from the 14th century (shown below)

Above. 14th century sedilia in the Chancel. 

Above. 14th century piscina in the Chancel.

Above. Aumbrey set in the Chancel wall.

Above. Aumbrey set in the Chancel wall.

Above. Looking from the Nave into the Chancel.

Above. Looking from the Chancel down the Nave towards the gallery.

The Nave still retains its gallery, a rare survivor in an area where many churches have had them removed.

Above. The East window in the Chancel.

The Rood screen looks to have been incorporated into the altar in the East of the Chancel.

Above. The South chapel.

The South chapel was added in the 14th century.

Above. Looking into the Chancel.

Above. Close up of the plinth upon which the tower has been built.

Above. Blocked priest's doorway in the North wall of the Nave.

Above. Possible Saxon window, now blocked.

There's some further information on the doorway between the Nave and the tower here.

Kirkby Thore, the stained glass of St Michael

Stained glass of St Michael

Kirkby Thore

Cumbria

Above. Very simple two light stained glass window with a tiny rose window above.

Above. Two light window portraying St Cuthbert and St Paul.

The dedication states that the window was placed by friends and parishioners of the Rev. John Reeks(?), Recotor of the parish, who died on the 16th of March, 1893.

Above. Another simple two light stained glass window. The rose window above, seems to contain some pieces of much older glass.

Above. Close up of the rose window and its older stained glass fragments.

Above. Three light window portraying St Michael (left), Jesus and Saint Gabriel (right)

This is the first time I've ever seen the angel Gabriel as a Saint, and he\she is portrayed here with one of the other Archangels, Michael. The window is in memory of James Nicholson who died on the 9th of May, 1827. Also, Margaret, his wife, who died on the 16th September, 1868, and their four sones, John, Thomas, Richard and James who are also buried at the church. The window was gifted to the church by their daughter, Mary Nicholson in 1891.

Above. Close up of the tiny fragments of old glass.