St Anne's Church, Thwaites facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Anne's Church, Thwaites
St Anne's Church, Thwaites, from the south
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OS grid reference	SD 178,855
Location	Thwaites, Cumbria
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Anne, Thwaites
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Anne
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	14 June 1989
Architect(s)	E. G. Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1854
Specifications
Materials	Stone rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings Slated roofs
Administration
Parish	St. Anne Thwaites
Deanery	Millom
Archdeaconry	Furness
Diocese	Carlisle
Province	York

St Anne's Church is a special old building located in the small village of Thwaites, Cumbria, England. It's an active church for the Anglican faith (a type of Christian church). It belongs to the Diocese of Carlisle, which is like a large church district.

This church works together with other churches nearby. These include St George's and Holy Trinity in Millom, and St Luke's in Haverigg. St Anne's Church is so important that it's officially protected. It is a Grade II listed building, meaning it has special historical or architectural value.

History of St Anne's Church

Before this church was built, there was a smaller church building. It was called a 'chapel of ease' and stood across the road. That older chapel was built in 1721 and officially opened in 1725.

The current St Anne's Church was built between 1853 and 1854. It was designed by a famous architect named E. G. Paley from Lancaster. The building cost about £1,678 back then. This would be a lot of money today! The church was officially opened on June 16, 1854, by the bishop of Chester.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St Anne's Church is built from stone rubble, which means rough, uneven stones. It has smooth, cut sandstone blocks for decoration. The roof is covered with large, flat slate tiles.

The church's layout includes a main hall called a nave. This nave has four sections, or 'bays,' and a row of windows high up, called a clerestory. There's also a side section on the south, called an aisle. At the front is the chancel, where the altar is. On the north side, there's a small room called a vestry.

At the east end of the nave, you can see a small tower for bells, called a bellcote. Both the east and west ends of the roof have decorative stone shapes. These are called cross finials. At the west end of the church, there are three windows with two sections each. Above them is a beautiful round window, known as a rose window.

Along the north wall of the nave and the south wall of the aisle, there are more two-section windows. These windows have simple stone patterns, called plate tracery. The windows in the clerestory are shaped like four-leaf clovers. These are called quatrefoils and are set inside round shapes.

The main window at the east end of the chancel is made of three tall, narrow windows. These are known as lancet windows. There are also three lancet windows on the south side of the chancel and one on the north. The vestry has a window with three sections on its north side. It also has a single-section window and a doorway on its east side.

Inside the Church

Inside St Anne's Church, the south arcade is a row of arches. These arches are supported by round stone pillars, called piers. The stone reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) was added in 1863. It has small, thin marble columns, called colonnettes.

Most of the colorful stained glass windows were made by an artist named William Wailes. However, one window on the north side of the nave, from 1914, was made by Powells. The stone font (for baptisms) and the pulpit (where sermons are given) were carved in 1854. They were made by George Henry Redpath Young of Ulverston. A kind lady named Elizabeth Lewthwaite paid for them.