Welcome to St Mary's Church in Kirkby Lonsdale

The Church of St Mary the Virgin sits right at the heart of the Kirkby Lonsdale Community. It is not only used as a place of regular worship but is a significant visitor attraction and runs many art and cultural events.

We look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful Church.

St Mary’s in Kirkby Lonsdale is the principal medieval church of South Westmorland. The arcade (aisle of arches) imitates that of Durham Cathedral. The earliest part of the church dates back to 1093. It is Grade One listed.

The earliest part of St Mary’s, the west nave arcades and reset Romanesque doorways, date from the early 12th century. The lower part of the tower dates from c1180. By the early 13th century, the chancel had been built with the south and inner north aisles added in c1400. The Middleton Chapel in the south east was added in 1486 and in 1574 the outer north aisle was built. In 1866 the gallery was removed and the organ moved into the north aisle.

The tower houses six bells, dating from 1633 to 1724. The Statement of Significance (2021) notes that ‘the church has high significance for its historic importance as the site of a pre-conquest church recorded in the place-name at Domesday, and in continuous use for Christian worship. The Norman and Early English fabric is an expression of the importance of the parish in the 12th and 13th centuries’.