St Mary's Church, Windermere

St Mary’s Church stands in the town of Windermere, Cumbria, on a gentle slope near the lake. Built in 1847–48 as a proprietary chapel for Revd J. A. Addison, it became a parish church in 1856. The Manchester architect J. S. Crowther added a north aisle and extended the nave in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1871 the Lancaster firm Paley and Austin restored the building, added a chancel and vestry, and installed a new reredos. A central tower was added in 1881–82, giving the church its present cruciform shape. The church is built of slate with sandstone dressings and has a slate roof. The tower rises in three stages, with clock faces on the north and south sides and bell openings above. The east window is in Decorated style, and the west end has three buttressed gables topped by small stone crosses. Inside, the nave arcades have seven bays, with pointed arches on the north side and round arches on the south. The choir stalls, pulpit and font were designed by Paley and Austin, and the east window’s stained glass is by Burlison and Grylls. Visitors find the aisles converted into offices, a lounge and a refreshment area with a kitchen. The south transept serves as a refreshment space, and a corridor links the aisles at the west end. The central tower houses a new altar and communion rails, while the south aisle contains a meeting room and toilet. The north aisle has been arranged as a parish office and reception area. The church’s interior blends original fittings with later adaptations, creating a working space that still shows its Victorian craftsmanship.