St Oswald’s Church — Attraction in Great Britain

Quite and beautiful place

Situated by the banks of the River Rothay in the centre of Grasmere village, St Oswald’s is a historic place of worship, much loved by local people and over 100,000 visitors each year. Its services are attended by a faithful, local congregation as well as many who come to stay in Grasmere. St Oswald’s has a fine musical reputation and is home to the annual Grasmere Rushbearing.

St Oswald's Church is in the village of Grasmere, in the Lake District, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle.[3] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.[4] As well as its architectural interest, the church is notable for its associations with the poet, William Wordsworth and his family, and for its annual ceremony of rushbearing.

St Oswald's dates from the 12th century, with an extension in the following century.[2] The chancel was added in the 15th century and the sanctuary in the 17th century. An extensive restoration was carried out between 1967 and 1973, which included new pews and a pulpit.

The church is built in blocks of calciferous sandstone and has green slate roofs. The roofs have coped gables and cross finials. Its plan consists of a three bay nave with a south aisle and a south porch, and a three-bay chancel with a north vestry. On the gable between the nave and the chancel is a twin open bellcote. Gargoyles stretch from the eaves of the chancel. The lower courses of the north wall of the nave and a blocked doorway date from the 12th century, and a medieval cross slab is built into this wall. The remainder of the fabric of the nave is from the 13th century. The chancel dates from the 15th century and in its east wall is a Tudor three-light window. The vestry dates from the 20th century. The arcade consists of four rounded-headed arches on round piers. The south wall of the aisle has recesses for a tomb and for an aumbry, and there is an aumbry in the south wall of the chancel. The bowl of the font is Norman, supported on a 20th-century shaft. The stained glass in the west window dates from the 19th century.[2] The single-manual organ was built in 1975 by Eric...

A delightful old village church, best known for its association with the poet William Wordsworth, but well worth a visit in its own right. I came here while on a day trip, and was impressed not only with this church's great antiquity - it dates from around 1250 but its origins go back to Saxon times - but also its welcoming atmosphere and the friendliness of the locals I met there. It stands right next to the River Rothay, and it is believed that the tower was built of boulders from the riverbed. The most spectacular feature inside the church is the unique timber framed roof above the nave, and there are also some small but beautiful stained glass windows. I found the info panel describing the ancient rushbearing ceremony, still held here every July, very interesting reading. There's a nice little bookshop near the entrance. The Wordsworth family graves are behind the church, close to a lovely daffodil garden, and there's a quaint little gingerbread shop in a former schoolhouse next to the churchyard entrance. There's usually a queue here, but the gingerbread is well...

WORDSWORTH'S ELEGY FROM ST. OSWALD'S CHURHYARD, GRASMERE.

'Were I still alive today I'd certainly have much to say To the PCC-----What a Shower!---- "Why go and ruin our ancient tower?" Many dead colleagues here also moan: "Did they REALLY NEED to paint the stone?" Church affairs must be in great flux Not to have even specified DULUX. Nevertheless, the crazy plan went ahead-- Conservation, like me, must also be dead. Costly 'restoration' has been very slow. The result? Our tower has vitiligo!'

Beautiful interior.....shame about the exterior which has always been a bit ugly and austere, even before this latest act of authorised,...