St Cuthbert

The church is much older than it at first appears. There are no records known of who caused the structure as seen today to be built, despite the obvious fact that it represents probably the largest single investment in a building ever made in the habitation of Kentmere.

It has been concluded that the presence of the ancient yew tree in the churchyard which is over 1000 years old, dating back to the reign of William I and among the oldest in Europe, and that it is in the middle of a previously circular churchyard, would indicate that worship has been taking place on that site from an early stage in the village's history.

The present structure was built in the early 1500s, the timber beams in the ceiling date from that time. The roof, originally lead covered, was replaced with a pitched, slated roof in the middle of 17th century. Parts of the building are, however, even older; the base of the tower dates from 11th century.

The church was remodelled in the mid 19th century when the former box pews were replaced by Victorian pews, along with the addition of choir stalls and the tower was raised to its present height. The stone built altar was added at a later date. The present entrance doorway into the porch is flanked by two large tombstones dated 1764 and the early years of the 1800s, the latter recording the vicar’s loss of his wife and three children in the space of four years. The door leads you into the simple country church, though an internal porch which was gifted to the church in 2008.

The church is a large barn like structure with little decoration and plain glass in the windows. The east window in particular gives magnificent views of Green Quarter Fell which rises to 426 metres above sea level. There are many plaques on the wall recording refurbishments over the years. There is one special plaque made by the Keswick School of Industrial Arts in the early 20th century recording the life of Bernard Gilpin, The Apostle of the North, who was born in 1517 at the nearby Kentmere Hall.