St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale

St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale
St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale, from the southwest
St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale Location in Cumbria
Coordinates: 54°12′13″N 2°35′51″W / 54.2037°N 2.5975°W / 54.2037; -2.5975
OS grid reference	SD 611 788
Location	Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary, Kirkby Lonsdale
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	12 February 1962
Architect(s)	Francis Webster E. G. Paley (restorations)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Stone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Kirkby Lonsdale
Deanery	Kendal
Archdeaconry	Westmorland and Furness
Diocese	Carlisle
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Richard John Snow

St Mary's Church is in the town of Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of six local churches to form the Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. The church contains Norman architecture and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

The oldest parts of the church are Norman. Three doorways and the inner north arcades date from the early 12th century, and the base of the tower and the south arcade are from the later part of that century. In the 14th century (or possibly about 1400) the north and south walls of the church were demolished and were rebuilt further outwards, the new south wall incorporating the earlier south doorway. A chantry chapel was added to the northeast of the church in 1486. In the 16th century a new clerestory, pinnacles and battlements were added, and in 1574 an additional aisle was built further north of the existing north aisle. The top of the tower was rebuilt in 1705, and the chantry chapel was demolished at that time. In 1807 the clerestory, battlements and pinnacles were removed by Francis Webster, who added an overall roof. The church was restored in 1866 by E. G. Paley. He raised the roof, giving the outer north aisle a separate roof, reseated the church, re-floored the chancel, added a south porch and installed a screen and a font.