St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere

A church has been present on the site since at least 1203. This was originally a chapel of ease to the mother church at Kendal, becoming a parish in its own right in 1348 at which time the churchyard was consecrated. The church burnt down in 1480, only the font, the base of the tower, and one door surviving. A new church was built and was consecrated in 1483. Amongst the benefactors was a local carrier named Bellman, who is said to have provided the lead for the roof. The church at this time had a simple plan, consisting of a nave with aisles, and a west tower. It contained box pews, a rood loft, a three-decker pulpit and, by 1812, a west gallery. On the walls and roof beams were murals and…

Hyde and Pevsner, in the Buildings of England series, describe the interior of the church as being "a strange sight", because it is constructed entirely in thickly plastered, white-painted, rubble. The piers have a square cross section, are chamfered, and are "markedly tapered". In front of the lectern is a display case made by Arthur Simpson in 1907 in memory of the artist Dan Gibson. It contains books, including a copy of the Breeches Bible and two 16th-century chained Bibles. It was restored in 1999. The interior is also home to several historic books dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries that are on display.