St Mary's Church, Ambleside

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St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Ambleside (6795).jpg
Location map United Kingdom South Lakeland.svg
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St Mary's Church
Location in South Lakeland
Cumbria UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Mary's Church
Location in Cumbria
54°25′51″N2°58′00″W / 54.430848°N 2.966588°W / 54.430848; -2.966588
Location Ambleside
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Church of England
Website amblesidechurch.org.uk
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade II*
Architect(s) George Gilbert Scott
Style Gothic Revival
Years built1850s
Administration
Province York
Diocese Carlisle
Archdeaconry Westmorland
Clergy
Bishop(s) James Newcome
Pastor(s) Beverley Lock

St Mary's Church is in Ambleside, Cumbria, England. It was built in the 1850s to a design by George Gilbert Scott in Gothic Revival style (specifically Decorated Gothic). The building is Grade II* listed. [1] Notable features include its stone spire, which is a local landmark and an unusual feature in Lake District churches. [2] [3]

Contents

The building is constructed of slate, the typical building stone of the locality, and sandstone which is used for dressings and the spire.

History

The decision to build the church reflects the coming of the railway to Windermere in 1847 and the subsequent expansion of Ambleside because of the increased opportunities for tourism.

A north-east choir vestry was added in 1889 to the designs of Paley & Austin of Lancaster. [1]

Interior

Wall-painting

There is a 26-foot mural on the west wall depicting the traditional ceremony of rushbearing (which still takes place on the first Saturday in July). [4] [5] The mural was created by Gordon Ransom of the Royal College of Art when the College was evacuated to Ambleside during the Second World War. [1] [6] The vicar of Ambleside, Henry Adamson Thompson, is depicted on the right hand side of the mural.

Bells

The tower contains a heavy peal of eight bells cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1901. With the tenor weighing 32 and a half long cwt (1,652 kg), [7] they are the fourth heaviest ring of eight in the United Kingdom and the heaviest ring of eight outside of the West Country. The bells can be heard from across Lake Windermere and are considered to be amongst the finest rings of their kind in the UK. [8]

Burials

St Mary's Church, Ambleside during Storm Dennis 2020 GR 9th Feb 2020 2-2.jpg
St Mary's Church, Ambleside during Storm Dennis 2020

Burials include Mary Louisa Armitt, the founder of Ambleside's Armitt Library. [9] Her sisters Annie and Sophia are also buried there.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1244784)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Bingham, Roger (February 2011). "Guide book reveals man-made gems". The Westmorland Gazette . Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. ↑ St Mary's Church. www.visitcumbria.com
  4. ↑ "Fundraising begins to restore historical Lake District mural". Westmorland Gazette. April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Crowds enjoy rushbearing". The Westmorland Gazette. 2019.
  6. ↑ Leslie Duxbury (2008), Bohemians in Exile: The Royal College of Art in Ambleside, 1940-1945. "Bohemians in Exile" was also the title of a 2011 exhibition at the Armitt Museum.
  7. ↑ Smith, Martin (6 December 2012). "Tower details - Ambleside, Cumbria, S Mary". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ambleside Bells and Bellringers". Ambleside Online. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Eileen Jay, ‘Armitt, Mary Louisa (1851–1911)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Accessed 2017-08-02 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
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