Kendal Parish Church, also known as the Holy Trinity Church due to its dedication to the Holy Trinity, is the Anglican

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Kendal,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

, England. It is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Visitors to the church are struck by its size and the lightness of the interior. This lightness is due to the unusual construction of five aisles, separated by columns and allowing generous window area. The nave is 800 years old and the other aisles have been added over the centuries so that, in its heyday, a congregation of 1100 was regularly accommodated.

Anglo-Saxon church

A church was built on the site during the Anglo-Saxon period using material "robbed out" from the ruined Roman fort at Watercrook to the south of the town.History
, Kendal Parish church site A record in the Domesday Book, and the shaft of an Anglian cross, housed in the Parr Chapel, are dated at approximately AD 850.

Norman period

Westmorland was only subdued by the Normans in 1092 and Ivo Taillebois (Anglicized, the name is translated to John Talbot) became the first Norman Baron of Kentdale, he gave the church and its lands to St Mary's Abbey in York. In 1189, the inhabitants of Kendal were massacred in church by Duncan, Earl of Fife. In 1201, the present building was constructed; the arch over the piscina was found carved with this date during Victorian restoration (1829).

Parr Chapel

The Parr Chapel was built by the Parr family in the fourteenth century, and the family coats of arms are to be seen on the ceiling. The maidenheads also featured on the walls had long been associated with the Parr family badge/arms. The device of a maidens head couped below the breast vested in ermine and gold; her hair of the last, or; and her head encircled with a wreath of red and white roses was taken from the Ros of Kendal family (ancestors of the Parrs). The large tomb in this chapel is that of William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, grandfather of Catherine Parr, the last queen consort of King Henry VIII.

Organs

The church contains two organs: * at the West end, the main organ by J.W. Walker 1969 (45/3 M+P) incorporating an earlier instrument by Willis * at the East end, the choir organ by Bevington c.1885 (11/2M+P) was bought in 2002

References

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