Crosthwaite Parish Church

Crosthwaite Parish Church stands on the edge of Keswick in Cumbria, a medieval stone building with later additions. It occupies a site used for worship since the 6th century, when St Kentigern built the first wooden church. The present structure dates largely from the 12th century, with major changes in the 14th and 16th centuries. The tower and aisles were added over time, and in the 19th century George Gilbert Scott carried out internal restorations. The churchyard holds graves of local people and two famous writers. The church is notable for its ring of eight bells, first installed in stages between 1765 and 1882. The bells are unusual because they are rung from the ground floor, with ropes guided through glass partitions so visitors can watch. A plaque in the north aisle lists the men of Crosthwaite who died in the First World War, and the organ is dedicated to their memory. Inside, Tudor consecration crosses survive, nine on the walls and twelve outside, marking the church’s consecration in the English manner. Visitors find a spacious nave with a large organ and a ringers’ chamber where the 1826 rules are displayed. The font, carved in the 14th century, sits near effigies from the 15th century. A reredos by the Keswick School of Industrial Art incorporates panels by Edith Rawnsley and John Birkett, with hanging lights and mosaics. Outside, slate gravestones and Celtic crosses rise among the yews and limes, and the graves of Robert Southey and Hardwicke Rawnsley lie close together.