The town of Kendal is the southern gateway to the Lake District. Since we entered from the north, it was our last stop in that part of England. The main church in Kendal is officially dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity, but it is never referred to as Kendal Holy Trinity Church, but simply as Kendal Parish Church.
The church is a large and impressive building. The oldest parts of the building date to the 13th century, but Christians have been worshiping at this site since at least the 9th century. The Domesday Book records a church in Kendal, and inside the church is a fragment from an Anglian Cross dated at around AD 850.
The church has been renovated and restored several times since its construction, in the course of which it has been enlarged to become one of the widest parish churches in Britain. The nave now has five aisles and is over 31 metres in width.
At right, an interior shot across four of the five aisles. (If you look closely—or click on the photo for a larger view—you can see the StatWife and StatDaughter in the distance taking a break while I look around the church.)
Kendal is known as the home of the Parr family, who built the Parr Chapel in the south-east corner of the church in the early 14th century. Katherine Parr, who became the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, was born in Kendal in 1512. A devout and pious Christian who ultimately adopted Protestant beliefs, she was the most intellectual of Henry’s wives. She ensured that her step-children had the best tutors; she enjoyed engaging in theological debates at court; she cultivated friendships with Thomas Cranmer and other leaders of the English Reformation; and she left behind popular devotional works.
Her interest in Protestant theology caused her serious problems, however; she narrowly escaped execution when Catholic sympathisers in the king’s courts tried to use her interest in Protestantism to portray her as a fanatic and possibly a heretic. Katherine ultimately survived Henry, and is buried at Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds.
The Parr Chapel at Kendal Parish Church has four angels affixed just under the roof of the church.
They are holding the symbols of the Crucifixion: crown of thorns, ladder, cross, and hammer and nails.
Click on photos for larger views. (These were taken with my digital camera's zoom, so they're a bit grainy.)
As I said, this was our last stop in Cumbria. From there. we drove to Wales. In north Wales, there are plenty of castles, but no churches of interest. So, next time, a look at Llandaff Cathedral near Cardiff. (Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit St David's.)
By the by, for those who want an easy way to remember the fates of Henry’s six wives, here’s a little rhyme I learned in theological college:
Divorced, beheaded, died;
Divorced, beheaded, survived.
Now, what were the names of the respective wives?
Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.
UPDATE: See clarification here.
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