St Laurence's Church, Morland Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Laurence's Church, Morland
St Laurence's Church, Morland, from the south
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	NY 598 226
Location	Morland, Cumbria
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Lawrence, Morland
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	6 February 1968
Architect(s)	C. J. Ferguson, W. D. Caröe (restorations)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Stone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Morland
Deanery	Appleby
Archdeaconry	Carlisle
Diocese	Carlisle
Province	York

St Lawrence's Church is a historic church located in the village of Morland, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it's part of the Church of England, and serves the local community. The church is very important historically, as it's officially recognized as a Grade I listed building. This means it's considered to be of exceptional interest. St Lawrence's Church is special because it has the only Anglo-Saxon tower in all of Cumbria.

History of the Church
Church Architecture
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Other Features Around the Church
Notable Burials
Gallery
See also

History of the Church

The tower of St Lawrence's Church is incredibly old, built sometime between 1041 and 1055. This was even before the Norman Conquest of England! The tower was made taller in 1588, and a small spire was added later.

The main part of the church, called the nave, was built in the 12th century. It still has some features from the Norman period. The side sections, known as aisles, were added later in the same century. In the 13th century, the chancel (the area around the altar) and transepts (the parts that stick out like arms of a cross) were built.

The chancel was rebuilt in 1600, and the north aisle was updated in the 18th century. The church has been carefully repaired and updated over the years. Major restoration work was done in 1896 by C. J. Ferguson, and more work was carried out in the 20th century by W. D. Caröe.

Church Architecture

Outside the Church

St Lawrence's Church is built from rubble stone, which means rough, unshaped stones. Its roofs are made of slate, and the tower has a short, lead-covered spire on top. The church has a cross-shaped plan, with a nave, north and south aisles, a south porch, north and south transepts, a chancel, a north vestry, and a west tower.

The tower is the oldest part, dating from before the Norman Conquest. It has three sections and no buttresses (supports) or outside doors. Its windows are very small. The openings for the bells are set deep into the walls and have stone pillars called balusters. On the west side of the tower, there is a blue clock face.

The transepts have lancet windows, which are tall, narrow windows, from the 13th century. The windows on the south side of the chancel and the large east window have four sections and are in the Perpendicular style, which was popular in the late Middle Ages. The windows along the north aisle are in the Georgian style, with decorative keystones above them. The south porch has a pointed roof and stone benches inside. The inner doorway, which you walk through to enter the church, dates from the 13th century and has a pointed arch.

Inside the Church

When you enter the church, you go down four steps. The tower is entered through a very narrow door. The south arcade (a row of arches) is supported by round piers (columns) with octagonal tops, and it has pointed arches. The north arcade is similar, but one of its piers is octagonal and has a capital (the top part of a column) decorated with scallops.

You can still see pieces of Norman zigzag carvings in the wall above the north transept and in the west wall of the north aisle. The reredos (a screen or decoration behind the altar) was made in 1926 by Caröe. The altar rail, where people kneel for communion, is from the late 17th century and is supported by small balusters.

The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, was originally a "three-decker" (meaning it had three levels) but has been made smaller. It is dated 1721. The font, used for baptisms, is a small octagonal bowl. Its cover has the date 1662 carved on it. The church also has a "poor box," which is a box for donations, carved from a log and dated 1648.

Only the east window has stained glass; it was made in 1926 by Powells. In the south transept, there is a coffin lid from the 13th century, carved with a cross that looks like a plant. The church's pipe organ was built in 1913 by Binns and repaired in 1951. In the tower, there are three bells, dated 1687, 1726, and 1764.

Other Features Around the Church

There are three other important historical structures near the church that are also listed buildings. To the southeast of the chancel is an altar tomb from the 15th century. It's made of sandstone blocks and has three brass plates, with the oldest one dated 1781. This tomb is listed at Grade II*, meaning it's very important.

To the southwest of the tower, there's a sundial. It has a medieval cross-base, with a column probably from the 19th century. This sundial is listed at Grade II. Also listed at Grade II are the gateposts and attached walls at the entrance to the churchyard. The gateposts are decorated with rusticated stone (rough-faced blocks) and topped with ball-shaped decorations called finials. There's an old inscription on the east side, but only the date 1723 can still be read clearly.