Kendal, Holy Trinity Church
Ann Newby was christened here on 28 October 1627. Said to be the second widest parish church in England, and the largest in Cumbria, it has two aisles each side of the nave. There is a 1690s sketch of the church by the Reverend Thomas Machell, which shows that its outward appearance has not changed much, though the inside has been throughly renovated. According to the parish church website, ‘during the seventeenth century, a painter from Lancashire was employed to disguise the poor state of the building by painting the walls with cherubs, dragons and texts, and the entire woodwork was painted green’. There was also a three-decker pulpit, as at Lancaster.
There are some excellent photos of the interior by Matthew Emmott on the ‘Visit Cumbria’ website at http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/chk2.htm. For the church website, see http://www.kendalparishchurch.co.uk. When you have finished, close that browser window.
Image © Meg Twycross 24 June 2009