St Oswald, Burneside

St Oswald
Burneside
Nr Kendal
Cumbria

The large village of Burneside lays about a mile to the North of Kendal. The church of St Oswalds sits at the centre of the village....an imposing late 19th century building.

Above. View of the church from the road side, looking South East.

Built to plans by 'Ferguson', it was finished in 1881. It would appear that there was an earlier church here, possibly built by George Webster of Kendal. Check the links to see plans. Ground Plan and Gallery 1828. Ground Plan 1828. The 'Ferguson' church probably consisted of considerable extensions and rebuilding of the original Webster building.

Above. View of the church tower, looking North East.

Above. A rather obscured view of the rear of the church, looking North West.

The church has a fine collection of stained glass windows. More information regarding their ages and who produced them will follow.

Above. Window depicting St Peter (left) St James (middle) and St John (right) and dedicated to local industrialist, James Cropper. The window was gifted by his friends and neighbours in 1901.

Above. Window with the simple phrase "they found him in the temple."

Above. Window with an unreadable memoriam, but erected in 1896.

Above. Window depicting St Oswald (left) St Mary (second left) Jesus (centre) St John (second right) and St Kentigern (right)

Above. Window dedicated to the memory of Sarah, wife of John Steele of Ivy Cottage, Burneside, who died in 1880.

Above. Looking down the nave towards the North East end of the church.

Above. Looking towards the chancel, at the South West of the church.

Above. An armorial plaque of the de Burneshead family. This family once owned nearby Burneside Hall (up until the 16th century)

Follow the link for some aerial photos of the church.

St Cuthbert, Carlisle

St Cuthbert
Carlisle
Cumbria

St Cuthberts can be found at the West end of Blackfriars Street, to the East of the city walls. This rather bleak, almost industrial looking church, is somewhat overlooked in many respects, by its nearby neighbour, the Cathedral. This church, the fourth on this site, dates from 1778, but contains some 14th and 15th century stained glass windows.

St Cuthberts has a West tower that is strangely out of proportion to the nave, which is built to look as if it is of two storeys. There are no monuments within the church, that predate the 1800's. Check the link for more information.

Gargoyles at Holy Trinity Church, Kendal

Gargoyles at Holy Trinty Church

Kendal

Cumbria

Gargoyles are a common enough sight at many churches, but the number and variety of these otherworldy creatures, carved in stone and peering at you from the walls of the Parish church in Kendal makes this building special. Most of the multitude of gargoyles are of Victorian 'invention', with beasts of all kinds to look for. Gargoyles were usually designed to hide spouts that took water away from the roof and drains of a building. The word Gargoyle is derived from the French word gargouille, meaning throat or gullet, a passage down which water could travel. Many gargoyles, and this is true of those at Holy Trinity in Kendal, are no longer used to hid water spouts, but are just for decoration. Gargoyles were also used to frighten off evil spirits, and it's easy to see why this was the case. Shown below is a selection of the gargoyles that can be seen on the external walls of the church.

Above. Two serpent headed, winged creatures battle it out, high up on the church wall.

Above. A strange winged 'cow' like creature stares out from the wall. A small green man can be seen to its right.

Above. A gryphon type creature holds its tail in its jaws.

Above. A demon looks out from the church walls. This is one of the largest gargoyles at Holy Trinity.

Above. A tiny green man.

Above. A laughing 'cat' like gargoyle.

Above. One of the larger gargoyles guards the corner of the church.

Above. A squirrel. With those teeth?

Above. His partner in crime.

This is where the squirrels live...above a niche in the East wall.

Above. Another view of one of the larger gargoyles guarding the corner of the building.

Above. Is this a laughing pig?

Above. A view of one of the corners of the church. Gargloyles look out in all directions.

Above. A hooded man.

Above. A larger gargoyle on the corner of the church, seems to defy gravity.

Above. This gargoyle looks out over the grave yard at the East of the church.

Above. A strange winged bull.

Above. A tiny elf like gargoyle. Note his pointed ears. A Vulcan perhaps?

Whitby Abbey Cross, Whitby

Whitby Abbey Cross
Whitby Abbey
Whitby

This weather worn cross stands to the North West of the abbey, by the English Heritage car park. It probably dates from the 14th century and consists of a 'fluted' shaft, mounted on a stepped base. The head of the cross has been mutilated, as shown below.

I'm not certain if the cross is situated on or near its orignal site.

The angels of Holy Trinity, Kendal

The angels of Holy Trinity church
Kendal
Cumbria

If you cast your eyes to the ceiling inside Holy Trinity, you are sure to see a host of angels above your head, looking down at you from the walls and the great wooden ceiling of the North aisle. The Kendal Parish Church web site states that the church could well be called the "Church of Angels" owing to the fact that there are allegedly somewhere in the region of ninety depictions of these heavenly bodies scattered throughout the church.

The fourteen shown below are all to be found in the roof of the North aisle, at the North West corner of the church. They most likely date from around 1868, owing to the fact that they were housed here when the church was re-roofed at this time. It appears that, up until around 1980, they were uncoloured, only being painted in their current colours around this time.

The four angels shown below can be found in the Parr chapel, at the South East corner of the church. Each angel is said to represent a symbol of the crucifixion.

The cross (above)

The crown (above)

Hammer and nails (above)

Ladder (above)

Stained glass windows of Holy Trinity, Kendal

Stained glass windows of Holy Trinity
Kendal
Cumbria

Holy Trinty has a great variety of stained glass windows....maybe not as old as some of the Cumbria churches visited to date....but none the less, the windows are stunning when the right light is cast through them.

The Yeates window dates from 1865 and is a memoriam to John Yeates and his wife Margaretta. The window can be found at the South West corner of the church, just inside the door. The window was made by Warringtons of London.

The Wakefield Lilly Window is best viewed when the sun is shining on the South side of the church. The greens in the glass give it an almost 'underwater' quality. Dating from 1924, it is dedicated to the memory of Mary Wakefield, wife of E.W. Wakefield. It was made to a design by Mrs Alice Gordon, and was produced by Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster. It can be found at the South West corner of the church.

The Chambre Window dates from 1852, and is dedicated to Alan Chambre and his son. Alan and his son are thought to have been direct descendants of John de Camera, the Chamberlain of Kendal Castle sometime around 1230. The window was made by Warrington of London, and can be found at the South West corner of the church.

The Braithwaite window can be found at the North West corner of the church. It dates from 1875, and was erected in memory of the Reverend George Braithwaite M.A.

The Barnes window is very interesting. The detail shown below, shows a view of the parish church with the Reverend Joseph Watkins Barnes M.A. to whom it is dedicated, praying in front of it. Joseph was largely responsible for the restoration work that took place during the 1850's. He was vicar here at Holy Trinty from 1844 until 1858

The window can be found on the West wall of the church....just to the right of the tower. It was made in 1858.

The Baptistery window can be found at the South West corner of the church, just inside the door. It dates to 1853, and was erected to the memory of William Robinson. This window was produced by Warrington of London.

The other windows in the church are still to be photographed. As soon as they are added to the library, I'll post them to the blog.