St Andrew's Church, Dent Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Church, Dent
St Andrew's Church, Dent, from the south
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OS grid reference	SD 705,870
Location	Dent
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Andrew, Dent
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Andrew
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	16 March 1954
Architect(s)	Paley, Austin and Paley (1889–90 restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Stone, stone slate and copper roofs
Administration
Parish	Dent with Cowgill
Deanery	Kendal
Archdeaconry	Westmorland and Furness
Diocese	Carlisle
Province	York

St Andrew's Church is a historic church located in the beautiful village of Dent in Cumbria, England. It's an active Anglican church, meaning it's part of the Church of England. This church is very important because it's listed as a Grade I building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a building of exceptional historical and architectural interest!

History of St Andrew's Church
- Key Dates in the Church's History
Architecture of the Church
- What the Outside Looks Like
- What the Inside Looks Like
Other Interesting Features Outside
Images for kids
See also

History of St Andrew's Church

St Andrew's Church has a long and interesting past. It was first built way back in the 12th century, which is over 800 years ago! Over the centuries, it has been rebuilt and repaired many times.

Key Dates in the Church's History

12th century: The church was originally built.
1417: It was rebuilt.
1590: Another restoration took place.
1787: The church was restored again.
1889–90: A major restoration, known as a Victorian restoration, happened. This work was done by famous architects Paley, Austin and Paley from Lancaster. It cost about £2,700 at the time.

Architecture of the Church

The church is built from rubble stone, which means rough, unshaped stones. The main part of the church, called the nave, has a roof made of stone slates. The roofs over the side sections, called aisles, are made of copper. The church's design is mostly in the Perpendicular style, which was popular in England during the late Middle Ages.

What the Outside Looks Like

The church has a nave and a chancel (the area around the altar) that are connected. It also has side aisles that run along the entire length of the church. There's a porch on the south side and a tall tower at the west end.

The Tower: The tower has a square-shaped doorway on its south side. It also has a small window on the west side and a clock face on the south. Near the top, there are openings with louvred slats where the bells are. The very top of the tower has a battlement design, which looks like the top of a castle wall.
Doorways and Windows: On the north side, there's a doorway that was once used but is now blocked up. The south porch has a pointed arch leading into the church. Along the upper part of the church (the clerestory), there are many windows that let light into the nave and chancel.

What the Inside Looks Like

Inside, the church has six bay arcades. These are rows of arches supported by round and octagonal piers (columns).

Chancel Floor: The floor in the chancel is made of shiny Dent Marble. It has a cool black-and-white checkerboard pattern.
Pulpit and Pews: The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is made of oak and dates back to 1614. It even has a special "sounding board" above it to help the sound carry. You can also see old box pews from the 17th century and benches from the 18th century in the aisles.
Font: The font, used for baptisms, is octagonal and made from Barrow limestone.
Stained Glass and Memorials: The large east window has beautiful stained glass showing scenes from the Te Deum, a Christian hymn. There's a special marble tablet remembering Adam Sedgwick, a famous geologist who died in 1873. Above the entrance, you can see the Royal arms of King George III from 1792.
Organ and Bells: The church has a two-manual organ built around 1892. It was restored in 2009. There are also six bells in the tower, all cast in 1787. These bells were overhauled in 2011 and were rung for the first time since 1918 on March 6, 2011!

Other Interesting Features Outside

Churchyard Gateway: The gateway on the south side of the churchyard is also a listed building. It has two sandstone pillars and a wrought iron gate, built in the late 1700s or early 1800s.
Former Grammar School: In the churchyard, there's an old building that used to be a grammar school. It's now been turned into flats. This sandstone building with stone slate roofs probably dates from the early 1700s.

Images for kids

St Andrew's Church, Dent, from the south

St Andrew's Church, Dent facts for kids

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