St Mary and St Michael's Church, Great Urswick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary and St Michael's Church, Great Urswick |
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St Mary and St Michael's Church, Great Urswick,
from the east |
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| OS grid reference | SD 268 742 |
| Location | Great Urswick, Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Mary and St Michael, Urswick |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 25 March 1970 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Urswick |
| Deanery | Furness |
| Archdeaconry | Westmorland and Furness |
| Diocese | Carlisle |
| Province | York |
St Mary and St Michael's Church is a historic church located in the village of Great Urswick, which is in Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church is part of a larger group of churches called the Low Furness Group of Parishes. This church is very important! It is officially listed as a Grade I building, which means it is a special historic place.
Contents
History of the Church
People believe a church stood on this spot even before the Normans came to England. The oldest parts you see today, like the bottom of the tower and the chancel, are from the 1200s. In the 1300s, the chancel was made longer. The main part of the church, called the nave, and the north vestry were also built around this time. The tower was made taller too. The inside of the roof has a date of 1598 carved into it. A special balcony for seating was added in 1828. In 1911, the plaster was removed from the inside walls. The church was repaired and a new heating system was put in during 2011.
Church Architecture
Outside the Church
The church is built from stone with a slate roof. It has a main area called the nave with a porch on the south side. There is also a chancel with a vestry on the north side, and a tower at the west end. The tower is as wide as the nave. It has a main entrance with a pointed arch. Above this door is a window with three sections. There is also a small space, called a niche, holding a sculpture of the Pietà. The bell openings have three sections and straight tops. At the very top of the tower, there is a wall with a pattern like castle battlements. The tower walls are very thick and have a staircase inside. The porch on the south side has a rounded doorway. Above the doorway is a decorative shape like a four-leaf clover. The windows on the south side have two sections and are decorated. On the north side, the windows also have two sections and straight tops. The large east window of the chancel has three sections. Other windows on the chancel sides have one or two sections. The vestry has two-section windows on its east and west sides.
Inside the Church
Inside, there is a balcony at the west end, supported by columns. Many of the church's wooden fittings were carved by Alec Miller in the early 1900s. The choir stalls and the organ case are decorated with angels playing musical instruments. The vestry door has a carving of the Annunciation, which is when an angel told Mary she would have a baby. The screen that separates the nave from the chancel has pictures of saints. It also holds a simple cross. The decorated screen behind the altar includes a painting by James Cranke. This painting is surrounded by carved figures of the Virgin Mary and Saint Michael. The pulpit, where sermons are given, is from the 1700s. It has a special canopy above it, added in 1912, which looks like a scallop shell held up by small carved figures. The church pews are decorated with roses and scallops. A larger pew, known as the Gale Pew, has carvings of small figures and flowers. The baptismal font, used for baptisms, is from the Middle Ages. It looks like a large egg-cup. Its cover, from 1921, is carved with items related to the sea. Some windows in the chancel still have small pieces of old stained glass from the Middle Ages. A window in the nave, called the Maiden's window, was made in 1912–13. Another window from 1931 shows Doubting Thomas. This one was made by Powells. The church also has a stone coffin lid from the 1200s with a cross carved on it. There are also memorial tablets on the walls from the 1700s and 1800s. The pipe organ is on the north side of the chancel. It was built around 1910. The church has a set of six bells. The oldest bell is from about 1460. Another bell was made in 1711. The other bells were made in 1907 and 1955. Two more bells, called The Four Sisters and The Centenary Bell, have also been added.
Carved Stones in the Church
When the plaster was taken off the inside walls in 1911, an old carved stone was found. It was built right into the wall! This stone is called the Tunwinni Cross. It has a carved section with runes (an old alphabet) and two figures below. An expert named W. G. Collingwood said the stone was from the 800s. Another stone was found in 1909. This was a piece of a cross-shaft, possibly from the 900s.
Outside the Church Grounds
In the churchyard, there are two important structures. To the south of the church, there is a monument for the Gale family. It has dates between 1816 and 1903. It looks like a stone coffin with a decorative urn on top. It is surrounded by railings. Closer to the church, there is a sundial from 1729. This sundial has a square stone pillar on a four-step base. It has a round plate and a pointer to tell the time from the sun.
See also
- Grade I listed churches in Cumbria
- Listed buildings in Urswick
