St Mary's Church, Walton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Walton |
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St Mary's Church, Walton, from the west
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| OS grid reference | NY 522,645 |
| Location | Walton, Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Mary, Walton |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 16 January 1984 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1870 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Lanercost with Kirkambeck and Walton |
| Deanery | Brampton |
| Archdeaconry | Carlisle |
| Diocese | Carlisle |
| Province | York |
St Mary's Church is a beautiful old church located in the small village of Walton, in Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican church, which means it belongs to the Church of England. It serves as a parish church, a local church for the people living in the area. St Mary's is part of the diocese of Carlisle, which is a larger church area. This church is very important because it is listed as a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a special building that needs to be protected due to its history and architecture.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
The church you see today was built between 1869 and 1870. It stands on the same spot where an even older church once stood. That medieval church had been rebuilt in 1811 and made bigger in 1843.
The architects who designed the current church were a famous team called Paley and Austin from Lancaster. Building the church cost about £2,000 back then. That would be a lot more money today!
What Does St Mary's Church Look Like?
Outside the Church
St Mary's Church is built from red sandstone. It has a strong base and smooth corners. The roofs are made of slate and have decorative tiles. The church has a main area called a nave with four sections. There is also a side area called a north aisle and a three-section chancel at the east end.
At the northwest corner, there is a tower that includes the entrance porch. On the west side of the tower, there's a small stair turret. You enter the porch through a pointed doorway on the north side. The openings for the bells are also pointed and have wooden slats called louvres. These parts are in an old style called Early English Gothic. The tower has a pyramid-shaped roof with small louvres.
The sides of the church look a bit different. The south side has tall, narrow windows called lancet windows and a window shaped like a four-leaf clover, called a quatrefoil. The north side has a roof that slopes down very far, covering the aisle. It has smaller lancet windows. At the west end of the church, there are two lancet windows and a round rose window. At the east end, there are three lancet windows of the same size, with a quatrefoil window above them.
Inside the Church
When you go inside St Mary's, you will see that all the wooden benches (pews) and other furniture are from the 1800s or early 1900s. At the bottom of the font, which is used for baptisms, there is a piece of a cross from the 10th or 11th century. This is a very old piece of history!
On the walls, you can find marble plaques that remember people. These were moved from the older church. The decorative screen behind the altar, called a reredos, was added in 1899. It is made of a mosaic (small pieces of colored material) framed in alabaster.
The colorful stained glass in the east window was made by an artist named William Wailes in 1869. In the north aisle, there is another stained glass window made around 1912 by a company called Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The church also has an organ, but its exact age is not known. People think it was built by Samuel Renn from Manchester.
Other Interesting Features Outside
In the churchyard, which is the area around the church, there is a building called a hearse house. This building, from the early 1800s, was used to store a hearse, a vehicle for carrying coffins. It is made of calciferous sandstone and has a slate roof. This hearse house is also a Grade II listed building. It probably has a round-arched window that came from the church built in 1813.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Carlisle
- Listed buildings in Walton, Cumbria
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
