Old St Catherines Church Tower

This tower is certainly a hidden gem and sits quietly in the Cumbrian countryside between Kendal and Bowness on Windermere. Definitely worth a look if you are heading to the lakes! Both the old church and the new church were dedicated to St Catherine who was the patron saint of students, teachers, librarians and lawyers. She sounds like my kind of woman.

St Catherine's tower was part of the old parish church that stood here and was built in around 1620. The rest of the church which dated from as early as 1516 had to be demolished in 1887 due to structural defects. The tower was preserved to retain some of the history of the area and was restored to it's former glory in 1993, with funding from English Heritage, Lake District Special Planning Board and public donations. A service is held at the tower every year in August.

The tower sits in a walled enclosure and there is a 10 minute walk to reach it from the car park. It's slightly uphill, but well worth it for the stunning views over the Cumbrian fells. Within the walled enclosure there is a single gravestone for a man named Thomas Hutchinson who died on 27th July 1868. Unfortunately, there is very little information about this man and why his stone still remains on the site - he must have been an important person to the area during his life.

The new St Catherines Church was built in 1882 by architect Stephen Shaw to replace the former building and still operates today. The new church has two bells; one of which was cast in the 14th century and used in the original medieval church. The bell is reported to be the oldest in Westmorland, but has developed cracks in it and is no longer used.

From the car park, head through the gate and there is a clear path all the way to the tower. You can also see the tower most of the way, so you know you are heading in the right direction.