Cartmel: St Mary & St Michael

Name:
Cartmel: St Mary & St Michael
Record Type:
Major Parish Church
Church code:
607243
Diocese:
Carlisle
Archdeaconry:
Westmorland & Furness
Parish:
Cartmel

Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?
This is a Grade I Listed Building
View more information about this Listed Building on the National Heritage List for England web site
Scheduled Monument?
There is a Scheduled Monument within the curtilage or precinct

National Park

The church is not in a National Park

Conservation Area

The church is in the following Conservation Area: Cartmel

Heritage At Risk Status

On Heritage At Risk Register?
This church is not on the Heritage at Risk Register
 

Approximate Date

Approximate Date:
Medieval

Exterior Image

Exterior image of 607243 St Mary & St Michael, Cartmel.
Caption:
Exterior image of 607243 St Mary & St Michael, Cartmel.
Description:
Photograph of the exterior of St Mary & St Michael, Cartmel.
Year / Date:
2016, January 02
Copyright:
This image is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.
Originator:
Anthony Parkes (of geograph.org.uk)

Summary Description

The medieval residents of Cartmel must have wondered at the Priory Church of St Mary & St Michael which today, still dominates the village and the surrounding countryside. You are struck, from a distance, by the diagonally placed top stage of the tower which is set at an angle of 45º to the earlier lower stage and can there be anything else like it in England? As Pevsner has said, it is a “structurally dubious but visually entertaining motif” and explains why the tower may look a little too small for the building. The building was begun in c.1189 and it was established as a priory although it was stipulated that it should never be elevated to an abbey. Apart from elements of the church the gatehouse is the only building that survives from this time. For 800 years the site has been a centre of worship that has reflected the changing faces of liturgy and architecture. Although obviously altered, some of the oldest parts of the priory are the chancel, transepts and the north wall of the nave. The south doorway is especially significant: it has three orders of detached shafts with capitals moving towards stiff-leaf, and a rounded arch with "V" shaped moulding. The north chancel aisle, known as the Piper Choir, has the only rib vaulting in the Priory and it also has a piscina, indicating its former use as a chapel. The Harrington Tomb, a large monument to John Harrington, who died in 1347 is half its original size, and has been re-sited so that it fills an archway through to the south chapel (the Town Choir). Effigies of Lord John and his wife Joan are surmounted by a canopy with an ogee arch The canopy has a ceiling with important painted boards showing a seated Christ and Signs of the Evangelists that Pevsner said “ought to be investigated”. The Town Choir was enlarged to its present size in the C14. Its name may derive from its use by local people. The massive east window is a Perpendicular insertion that probably replaced one or two groups of lancets. The north transept contains the sole remaining original lancet, as well as the blocked-up doorway to the monks’ "night stairs" which connected with the adjoining buildings. The south transept has a similar blocked door that would have allowed access to the dormitory. Cartmel also has an excellent set of 26 choir stalls dating from about 1450. Each has a misericord, and medieval carvers were allowed to exploit their skill with all kinds of carvings (a unicorn, a pelican and other beasts). The Priory has a good collection of mediaeval and Victorian glass. The south porch has the oldest - C14 - depicting angels. The west window has figures in canopies throughout, and is probably by Burlison and Grylls. The best Victorian glass is the extensive collection by the Lancaster firm of Shrigley and Hunt. The significance is enhanced by the many accretions and changes over time and not only with the building fabric. The interior is enlivened by monuments and sculptures of different periods. Four sculptures by Josefina de Vasconcellos, who lived nearby, require special mention.

Visiting and Facilities

The church is open for worship.
Work in progress - can you help?
 

Church Website

Church Website:
http://cartmelpriory.org.uk

Sources and Further Information

Cathedral and Church Buildings Division (2014) Research into the Presence of Bats in Churches [Digital Archive/Data]
CCB project, summer 2014, to ascertain the presence or absence of bats in church building
Anthony Parkes (of geograph.org.uk) (2016, January 02) Exterior image of 607243 St Mary & St Michael, Cartmel. [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Exterior image of 607243 St Mary & St Michael, Cartmel.
CWGC (2016) Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC Unique File Reference Number: 2005 [Bibliography/Data]
Number of War Graves: 2
Church of England (2021) A Church Near You https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/12400/ [Digital Archive/Index]
View information on worship and access at this church
ESOS (2022) Energy Audit - Cartmel: St Mary & St Michael [Digital Archive/Document]
Energy Audit - Cartmel: St Mary & St Michael
Church Buildings Council (2019) Church Bells 10 Bells [Archive/Index]
10 Bells