Lake District Travel Guide - Historic Churches

St John's is a 12th-century church standing on one of the oldest Christian sites in Cumbria. The chancel arch is a re-used Roman arch, possibly from nearby Maryport Roman Fort. In the porch is an ancient carved slab depicting the martyrdom of St Lawrence and a Viking hogback tomb is in the churchyard.
Crosscanonby, Cumbria, England, CA15 6SJ

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Heritage Highlight: Re-used Roman arch to the chancel

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St Kentigern's Church, Crosthwaite, is a fascinating 12th-century church built on the site of older churches dating to the 6th century. Later additions date from the 16th and 19th centuries. The church is dedicated to St Kentigern, who came to this area in the middle of the 6th century.
Church Lane, Crosthwaite, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: A full set of 12 Tudor consecration croses

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St Andrews church in the north Cumbria village of Dacre stands on the site of a Saxon monastery mentioned by the Venerable Bede. A Viking grave cross shaft stands inside the church, as well as memorials to the Hasells of nearby Dalemain. But Dacre is much more famous for what stands outside the church; four bizarre ancient statues of bears arranged around the church in a sequence that tells a story.
Dacre, Lake District, Cumbria, England, CA11 0HJ

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St Mary's Church is a lovely 19th-century Gothic Revival building a few steps from historic Dalton Castle. It was built in 1882 and has an excellent collection of Victorian glass, as well as medieval stained glass and a 14th-century font from nearby Furness Abbey. In the churchyard is the grave of the 18th-century portrait artist George Romney.
Market Place, Dalton-in-Furness, Furness Peninsula, Cumbria, England, LA15 8AZ

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Heritage Highlight: George Romney's grave

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St Catherine's Church is a pretty 14th-century building on the north bank of the River Esk in the heart of beautiful Eskdale. Historical highlights include a 14th-century font and a 15th-century bell on a window ledge. In the churchyard is the striking memorial to the Master of the Eskdale and Ennerdale Hunt.
Church Lonning, Boot, Eskdale, Lake District, Cumbria, England, CA19 1TG

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Heritage Highlight: 15th-century bell

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There has been some form of religious building at Gosforth since the 8th century. The current church of St Mary is a Victorian building incorporating pieces from a 12th-century Norman church.
Wasdale Road, Gosforth, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Fantastic carved Viking cross in the churchyard

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St Oswald's Church stands beside the River Rothay and was reputed to be founded by St Oswald himself in AD 642. The present building dates to around 1250 and boasts a 14th-century font. The church is known for its annual rushbearing ceremony, when the church floor is strewn with fresh rushes. The poet William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard.
Church Stile, Grasmere, Cumbria, England, LA22 9SW

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Heritage Highlight: William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard

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There has been a church in Hawkshead since the 12th century. The current building spans the 13th-15th centuries and boasts a wonderful array of 17th-century Biblical texts painted on the walls and pillars. Look for the Elizabethan Sandys Chapel and tomb, erected by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York and a Hawkshead native.
1863 Main Street, Hawkshead, Lake District, Cumbria, England, LA22 0NT

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Heritage Highlight: 16th-century Sandys tomb

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Once the largest monastery in Cumberland, Holme Cultram Abbey was founded in AD 1150 by monks from Melrose Abbey in the Scottish Borders. The father of Robert Bruce was buried at Holme Cultram, but that did not stop the younger Bruce from raiding the abbey in 1319. The abbey church lives on as the present parish church.
Abbey Road, Abbeytown, Cumbria, England, CA7 4SD

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Heritage Highlight: Grave of Robert Bruce's father

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The Old Church at Ireby stands alone in a farm field well outside the village. This ancient structure is an antiquarian's delight. It was built in the 12th century, but when the new church dedicated to St James was built in 1847, the nave, porch, and north aisle of the old church were pulled down and the two-bay chancel was left to moulder away on its own.
Ireby, Cumbria, England, CA7 1HD

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Heritage Highlight: Possible pre-Norman carvings set in east wall

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