St Oswald's Church, Thornton in Lonsdale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Oswald's Church, Thornton in Lonsdale |
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St Oswald's Church, Thornton in Lonsdale, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | SD 686,736 |
| Location | Thornton in Lonsdale, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Oswald, Thornton in Lonsdale |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 20 February 1958 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin, Austin and Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1935 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Thornton in Lonsdale |
| Deanery | Ewecross |
| Archdeaconry | Craven |
| Diocese | Leeds |
| Province | York |
St Oswald's Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Thornton in Lonsdale, North Yorkshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, which means it's a local church serving the community. It belongs to the Diocese of Leeds, which is part of the Church of England.
This church is very special! It's listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a very important historic building.
Contents
History of St Oswald's Church
The oldest part of St Oswald's Church is its tower, which was built way back in the 15th century. That's over 500 years ago!
Rebuilding the Church
Most of the church, except for the old tower and three Norman arches, was rebuilt between 1868 and 1870. This work was done in a style called Perpendicular Gothic, which was popular for churches. The architects who designed this rebuild were Paley and Austin from Lancaster.
This big project cost a lot of money, about £5,000 at the time. This money came from the will of a man named Felix Slade, who lived nearby. He was a very generous person, and the famous Slade School of Fine Art was also named after him.
Fire and Repair
Sadly, the church was damaged by a fire in February 1933. But don't worry, it was rebuilt again! This time, the work happened between 1934 and 1935. The architects Austin and Paley (a later version of the original firm) oversaw the repairs, which cost about £9,000.
Architecture and Design
St Oswald's Church is built from limestone and has sandstone details. Its roofs are made of Westmorland slate, a type of stone tile.
Church Layout
The church has a main area called the nave, which is the long part where people sit. On either side of the nave are north and south aisles, which are like walkways. There are also chapels, a chancel (the area near the altar), and a south porch at the entrance.
The Tower and Windows
The church has a tall west tower with strong diagonal supports called buttresses. The top of the tower has a battlement (a wall with gaps, like a castle). There's a main doorway at the west end with a pointed arch. Above it, you can see a large window with three sections.
Higher up, there's a small window with a special "ogee" shape, which looks like an S-curve. The openings for the bells have two sections each. The tower is topped with a pointed, pyramid-shaped spire from the 19th century and a lead decoration called a finial.
The windows along the sides of the church have two or three sections. The large east window has four sections with trefoil heads, which are shapes like three-leaf clovers.
Inside the Church
Inside St Oswald's, some of the arcades (rows of arches) have pointed arches. Other arches are in the older Norman style, which means they are rounded. The oldest memorials inside the church are for the Redmayne family and date back to 1678.
See also
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
