St Gregory's Church, Vale of Lune
Encyclopedia
St Gregory's Church, Vale of Lune, also known as Vale of Lune Chapel, is a redundant
Anglican
church situated on the A684 road
about 1.5 miles (2 km) to the west of Sedbergh
, Cumbria
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
in the 1860s. The London and North Western Railway
was at that time constructing the Ingleton Branch, and the company sent a scripture reader to minister to the navvies
building the railway. The church was altered and enlarged in the 1900s; this included the installation of stained glass windows and the addition of a porch. It continued as the chapel to the Ingmire Estate until 1918. St Gregory's was declared redundant on 1 May 1984, and was vested
in the Trust on 16 March 1992.
mixed stone with red sandstone
quoins
and a slate
roof. The porch is built in rubble with yellow sandstone dressings and quoins. The roof is in slate
, and on it stands a long wooden lantern, glazed with five lights and with a hip roof
. The plan of the church consists of a nave
on a north-south axis, with a porch on the north, and a chancel
acting as a cross-wing on the south. On the north gable
is a single bellcote containing a bell. The doorway to the porch is on the west side, over which is a small gable containing the Ingmire Hall
cross. On the north side of the porch is a small rectangular window, over which is a memorial plaque. On the west side of the church are three single-light windows. There are no windows on its east side adjoining the cottage.
Inside the church are wooden fittings and furniture by Waring & Gillow of Lancaster
. The stained glass in the windows was designed by Frederick George Simon, and depicts images from nature, including river scenes, trees, plants, and birds and animals found in the locality.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
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...
church situated on the A684 road
A684 road
The A684 is an A road that runs through Cumbria and North Yorkshire, starting at Kendal, Cumbria and ending at Ellerbeck and the A19 road in North Yorkshire...
about 1.5 miles (2 km) to the west of Sedbergh
Sedbergh
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria, England. It lies about east of Kendal and about north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within 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 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, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
History
St Gregory's was built by the Upton family of Ingmire HallIngmire Hall
Ingmire Hall is a 16th century house built around the remains of a pele tower near Sedbergh, Cumbria, England.The house was first constructed for the Upton Family in the 16th century. The house was enlarged in the early 19th century by architect George Webster and extended around 1900...
in the 1860s. The London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
was at that time constructing the Ingleton Branch, and the company sent a scripture reader to minister to the navvies
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
building the railway. The church was altered and enlarged in the 1900s; this included the installation of stained glass windows and the addition of a porch. It continued as the chapel to the Ingmire Estate until 1918. St Gregory's was declared redundant on 1 May 1984, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 16 March 1992.
Architecture
The church is attached to a cottage. It is constructed in random rubbleRubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
mixed stone with red 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,...
quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
and a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. The porch is built in rubble with yellow sandstone dressings and quoins. The roof is in slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, and on it stands a long wooden lantern, glazed with five lights and with a hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. The plan of the church consists of a 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...
on a north-south axis, with a porch on the north, and a 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...
acting as a cross-wing on the south. On the north 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...
is a single bellcote containing a bell. The doorway to the porch is on the west side, over which is a small gable containing the Ingmire Hall
Ingmire Hall
Ingmire Hall is a 16th century house built around the remains of a pele tower near Sedbergh, Cumbria, England.The house was first constructed for the Upton Family in the 16th century. The house was enlarged in the early 19th century by architect George Webster and extended around 1900...
cross. On the north side of the porch is a small rectangular window, over which is a memorial plaque. On the west side of the church are three single-light windows. There are no windows on its east side adjoining the cottage.
Inside the church are wooden fittings and furniture by Waring & Gillow of 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...
. The stained glass in the windows was designed by Frederick George Simon, and depicts images from nature, including river scenes, trees, plants, and birds and animals found in the locality.