Holy Trinity and St. George, Kendal

Introduction

Holy Trinity and Saint George in Kendal, in the Diocese of Lancaster, was designed by George Webster in 1835 and opened for service in 1837.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a 6-bay aisleless nave with a porch projecting to the west and a chancel to the east, in an Early English exterior. The church has an octagonal stone font in a pierced wooden enclosure on the north side under the gallery. The church has good late C19/early C20 stained glass, with some re-used C17 (Flemish?) stained glass panels in the porch windows. The front is hammer-dressed ashlar on a chamfered plinth, with chamfered strings, stepped corner buttresses, and octagonal buttresses beside the projecting central bay, all topped with pinnacles.

The church has a castellated parapet and an apex cross. The sides are hammer-dressed limestone blocks on a chamfered plinth, the rear is slobbered rubble, and the roofs are graduated slate with corbelled eaves. Stone steps lead to a studded plank door with a pointed head under a hoodmould, with three stepped lancets above and a single lancet in each side bay. The south return has six lancets under a hoodmould, with a shorter eastern lancet above a pointed-headed door.

Inside, an enclosed porch sits under the western gallery and organ loft, with a panelled front supported on an arcade of four-centred arches carried between slender clustered columns. The five roof trusses have wooden brackets on corbels that support a tie-beam with pierced trefoil-headed arcade infill above. A statue of Saint George and the Dragon stands in the gable niche. The high altar is set in a splayed recess with a crocketed hoodmould to the pointed head, and columns to the reveals carry soffit ribs with panelling between.

A life-size statue in a niche on either side is set within a crocketed gabled surround; the left statue is Ecce Homo and the right is Saint George after Donatello. A cast-iron chancel rail has pierced trefoil-headed panels, and an octagonal wooden pulpit with carved panels stands in front of the rail to the left. Small octagonal marble holy-water stoups on wooden plinths flank the entrance, signed by Sylvester Mooney, one dated 1836 and the other 1837.

Parish life

In about 2001, parishioners formed the parish's own Overseas Aid Group. The parish sponsors schools overseas through Mary's Meals, including the Chabwera School in Zambia. The parish has a team of Eucharistic Ministers who take Communion to the sick in the community.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish's SVP members visit housebound people to prevent them feeling isolated, and provide transport for Sunday Mass and special events. The parish's SVP group is twinned with an Indian SVP group in Kerala. The parish prayer group is part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement.

Visiting

The parish prayer group meets on Wednesdays in the parish centre. House groups of between 3 and 12 people meet regularly for faith-sharing. Couples are prepared for marriage over four meetings required by the Church.