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Tour (still under
construction)
A
Guide to St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere
A
VERY WARM WELCOME TO ST MARTIN'S, THE ANCIENT PARISH CHURCH OF
WINDERMERE. Please
note that this is not much more than an uploading of the text of
our current guidebook. We plan to improve it.
We
are very fortunate to live in a wonderful part of the country and
even more fortunate to be part of this beautiful and historic
church. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all
visitors and hope this guide will add to the pleasure of your stay
with us. We also hope that you, like us, find moments of peace
here.
Some History
There was a previous
church here at least as early as 1203. It was originally a chapel
under Kendal, which was the mother church for a large part of
South Westmorland. The old Parish of Windermere once extended from
the Lancashire-Westmorland county boundary, to the south, and
northwards to include part of the village of Ambleside. It still
includes all of the lake. The earlier church was burnt down in
1480. Of that church there remains only the font, the base of the
tower and its low external door. An ancient floor existed five
feet below the present, as indicated by the height of the door
archway on the west face of the tower.
After
the fire the parishioners rebuilt their church on the original
site and it was completed and re-consecrated in 1483. It was then
a simple rectangle, with nave and aisles, and a squat tower at the
west end, which is slightly offset. The wide south porch was
probably added some fifty years later. The whole church was
roughcast and limewashed outside and within to make the most of
the light. One of the more unusual features is the low-pitched,
lead covered roof; most churches in the Lake District have slate
roofs. The use of lead enabled the parishioners to build a much
larger church than if they had used the heavier slate. It is said
that a local carrier named Bellman brought the lead for the roof,
free of charge, on his packhorses. He was one of many local
benefactors who made the rebuilding possible.
The
interior of the 15th century church has altered from time to time
according to need and taste. There was, apparently, a rood loft
near the east end and, in 1812, a gallery at the west end. A
three-decker pulpit stood near the middle of the church, below the
text from St Paul’s Letter to Timothy. This was surrounded by
box-pews.
Some of the unique features inside St
Martin’s are the decorative murals, the sixteenth century
instructive sayings and the quotations from the Bible on the walls
and the roof beams. The only remaining part of the original
pattern of decoration is to be found above a window in the south
aisle.
The appearance of the present church owes much
to the 1870 restoration and enlargement under the architects Paley
and Austin of Lancaster. The chancel was extended to the east, as
the differing roof beams demonstrate, the tower was heightened and
all the seating renewed. Most of the mural decorations (by a Mr
Henry Hughes of Frith St, London) including two large
paintings in the chancel, date from this time. They serve to
relieve the bareness of the smooth re-plastered walls and pillars.
Details of the 1870 restoration were given by Frederic Clowes
(1874) in a book describing the old church, profits from the sale
of which were applied to the repayment of the costs of the
restoration.
The outstanding treasure of St Martin’s is the
East Window which was so successfully restored in 1870 by Mr
Hughes, under the supervision of the Society of Antiquaries, when
the new chancel was built. A full photographic record of the
window is available on the Corpus
Vitrearum Medii Aevi: Medieval Stained Glass in Great Britain
web site. Details of this beautiful stained glass may be found
near the communion rail
During the 20th Century a
number of major improvements were made to the church. These
included enlargement of the Choir Vestry, provision of the
Memorial Chapel with attendant alterations, releading of the roof
and interior redecoration following the 1870 scheme, removal of
pews at the back of the church to create a social area and
conversion of the old choir vestry into a children’s wing whilst
the robing room was established behind the St John’s screen.
An
ambitious programme of renovation and improvement was started as
we entered the new millennium. This included total re-flooring,
introduction of a new, under-floor, heating system, restoration of
the East Window and murals, the construction of the Curwen Screen
in front of the tower and the new inner doors, restoration of the
organ, and the restoration and rehanging of the eight bells.
A
Tour of the Church
The
font is the most visible remaining part of the original church. It
has an octagonal bowl carved from sandstone, certainly not local,
with roughly carved heads at each alternate angle. The two incised
crosses are probably consecration crosses, one carved when the
font was first used, and the other at the re-consecration after
the fire. Only the bowl is ancient, its stem and base are
modern. more>>>
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Rector
This
site is copyright © the Parochial Church Council of Windermere,
2015
All information is believed to be correct at the time of
uploading. Registered Charity Number 1161992
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