St Mary
Crosthwaite, Cumbria
This beautiful church is home to an inclusive community which has worshiped and worked together here at this site for over 900 years.
Crosthwaite Church has a long history and it is thought that Christians have worshipped on this site for nearly 1500 years. This church is dedicated to St Kentigern, also known as St Mungo in Scotland, who had set up his cross in a clearing or ‘thwaite’ in 553AD - hence the name Crosthwaite.
Items of interest include:
- The baptistry dedicated to Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley who was Vicar for 34 years from 1883 and has impressive stonework and woodwork. The font has a richly carved octagonal basin and was a gift late 14th century to mark the ministry of the vicar Sir Thomas de Eskhead.
- Canon Rawnsley and his wife Edith founded the Keswick School of Industrial Arts (KSIA), although she was the driving force. There are numerous examples of her designs and work in the church and outside including the reredos behind the communion table, the white altar frontals, the pulpit, and the church gates.
- The Consecration Crosses are thought to date from 1523 marking where Bishops anointed the walls of the church during the service of consecration. Crosthwaite has 12 outside and 9 inside and can be found on the left-hand jambs of the older windows.
- The sanctuary dates from 1889 with the panels in the reredos depicting the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus; and the mosaic pavement includes the emblems representing the four miracles of St Kentigern (the tree, robin, fish and bell).
- The stained glass in the windows is predominantly 19th century but there are three fragments of mediaeval glass in a north aisle window and in the south-east corner.
- The Southey memorial is a white marble effigy of Robert Southey, the Poet Laureate with an inscription written by Wordsworth.
- The Tower Clock outside the church on the south side dates from around 1720 and only has an hour hand. There is also a sundial dated 1602 on the south wall that still works.
Please also take time to visit the extensive churchyard which is well used by visitors and includes the graves of Robert Southey, Canon Rawnsley and the railway photographer, Bishop Treacy.