St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere
| St Martin's Church Bowness-on-Windermere |
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St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere, from the south
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 St Martin's Church
Bowness-on-Windermere Location in Cumbria
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| Coordinates: 54°21′51″N 2°55′16″W / 54.3641°N 2.9210°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 403 969 |
| Location | Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Martin, Bowness-on-Windermere |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Martin |
| Consecrated | 1483 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 8 May 1950 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Slate rubble with sandstone dressings |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Martin, Windermere |
| Deanery | Windermere |
| Archdeaconry | Westmorland and Furness |
| Diocese | Carlisle |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Revd James Richards |
| Assistant priest(s) | Revd Canon Clarence Hendrickse |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Bill Johnson |
| Churchwarden(s) | Mike Fletcher |
St Martin's Church stands in the centre of the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
A church has been present on the site since at least 1203. This was originally a chapel of ease to the mother church at Kendal, becoming a parish in its own right in 1348 at which time the churchyard was consecrated. The church burnt down in 1480, only the font, the base of the tower, and one door surviving. A new church was built and was consecrated in 1483. Amongst the benefactors was a local carrier named Bellman, who is said to have provided the lead for the roof. The church at this time had a simple plan, consisting of a nave with aisles, and a west tower. It contained box pews, a rood loft, a three-decker pulpit and, by 1812, a west gallery. On the walls and roof beams were murals and painted biblical texts.
In 1870 the church was restored by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. The benefactors at this time included the local industrialist and politician Henry Schneider. Paley and Austin extended the chancel, raised the tower, to which they added a saddleback roof, and replaced the seating. During the restoration, painted inscriptions that had been covered in whitewash were rediscovered. Around this time murals were painted on the walls by Henry Hughes of London, who also restored the east window. In 1911 a vestry was added at the northeast, designed by W. L. Dolman; this was made into a chapel in 1922 by Dolman, paid for by Sir William Forwood. Later in the 20th century, pews were removed from the back of the church to make a social area, and the choir vestry was made into a children's wing. At the turn of the millennium a glass screen was inserted in the tower arch, creating the Tower Room.
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Wikipedia