Holy Trinity Church, Casterton
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church, Casterton, is in the village of Casterton
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
. Its benefice is united with those of five local parish
es, the benefice being entitled Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
that was attended by the Brontë sisters. The architectural historians Matthew Hyde and Nikolaus Pevsner
state in the Buildings of England
series that "the architect was almost certainly George Webster
". In about 1860 the small chancel
was replaced by a larger one designed by the Lancaster
architect E. G. Paley
.
, the chancel in rock-faced sandstone
, both with ashlar
dressings. Its plan consists of a six-bay
nave
with a south porch and a north vestry
, a chancel with an organ loft to the north, and a west tower. The tower is partly embraced in the nave, forming a baptistry; Hyde and Pevsner
state that it is "undersized". It is supported by diagonal buttress
es, the bell openings are louvred
with pointed heads and hoodmoulds
, and the parapet
is plain with raised angles. On the west side are two windows, one above the other, and a clock face. Along the sides of the nave are lancet window
s alternating with buttresses, above which is a continuous hoodmould. The chancel has a steeper roof than the nave, rising to a higher level. Its east end has a coped
gable
surmounted by a cross, and contains three stepped lancet windows. On the south side of the chancel are three lancet windows and a doorway; on the north side is a single lancet to the east of the organ loft.
is octagonal, carried on clustered shafts. The memorials include one to Rev William Carus Wilson, who died in 1859. The reredos
dates from 1897 and was designed by Austin and Paley. The stained glass window in the baptistry dated 1884 is by Shrigley and Hunt
. The scheme of wall paintings and stained glass in the chancel was created between 1893 and 1899 by Henry Holiday
. In the nave is a scheme of wall paintings by James Clark
executed between 1905 and 1912. The two-manual
organ was built in 1893 by J. W. Walker
. The ring
consists of six bells. The bells were cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
, three in 1845 by Charles and George Mears, and the other three in 1905 by Mears and Stainbank. The bells are no longer ringable.
Casterton, Cumbria
Casterton is a small village and civil parish close to Kirkby Lonsdale on the River Lune in the south east corner of Cumbria, England.The parish is bounded by Kirkby Lonsdale, Barbon, Dent, Leck and Burrow-with-Burrow, and lies just outside the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park:...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. Its benefice is united with those of five local parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es, the benefice being entitled Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building.
History
The church was built between 1831 and 1833. It was founded by Rev William Carus Wilson, who also founded the Clergy Daughters' SchoolCowan Bridge School
Cowan Bridge School refers to the Clergy Daughters' School, a school mainly for the daughters of middle class clergy founded in the 1820s. It was first located in the village of Cowan Bridge in the English county of Lancashire, where it was attended by the Brontë sisters. Two of the sisters,...
that was attended by the Brontë sisters. The architectural historians Matthew Hyde and Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
state in the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series that "the architect was almost certainly George Webster
George Webster (architect)
George Webster was born in Kendal, Westmorland, England in 1797, son to Francis Webster, a prominent local stonemason turned architect...
". In about 1860 the small chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was replaced by a larger one designed by the Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architect E. G. Paley
Edward Graham Paley
Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley, , was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century.-Education and career:...
.
Exterior
The original part of the church is constructed in rock-faced limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, the chancel in rock-faced sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, both with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings. Its plan consists of a six-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a south porch and a north vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, a chancel with an organ loft to the north, and a west tower. The tower is partly embraced in the nave, forming a baptistry; Hyde and Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
state that it is "undersized". It is supported by diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, the bell openings are louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
with pointed heads and hoodmoulds
Hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater...
, and the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is plain with raised angles. On the west side are two windows, one above the other, and a clock face. Along the sides of the nave are lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s alternating with buttresses, above which is a continuous hoodmould. The chancel has a steeper roof than the nave, rising to a higher level. Its east end has a coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
surmounted by a cross, and contains three stepped lancet windows. On the south side of the chancel are three lancet windows and a doorway; on the north side is a single lancet to the east of the organ loft.
Interior
The nave has a scissor truss roof, and the chancel a collar rafter roof. The fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is octagonal, carried on clustered shafts. The memorials include one to Rev William Carus Wilson, who died in 1859. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
dates from 1897 and was designed by Austin and Paley. The stained glass window in the baptistry dated 1884 is by Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was the name of an English firm which produced stained glass windows and art tiles.The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire....
. The scheme of wall paintings and stained glass in the chancel was created between 1893 and 1899 by Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday was an English historical genre and landscape painter, stained glass designer, illustrator and sculptor. He is considered to be a member of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.-Early years and training:...
. In the nave is a scheme of wall paintings by James Clark
James Clark (artist)
James Clark was a provincial English painter born in West Hartlepool, in north-east England. He rose to prominence in 1914 when his painting entitled The Great Sacrifice was reproduced as the souvenir print issued by The Graphic illustrated newspaper with its Christmas number...
executed between 1905 and 1912. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1893 by J. W. Walker
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells. The bells were cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
, three in 1845 by Charles and George Mears, and the other three in 1905 by Mears and Stainbank. The bells are no longer ringable.