St Mary's Church, Windermere

St Mary's is constructed in slate stone with sandstone dressings and slate roofs. Its plan is cruciform, consisting of a nave, north and south aisles under separate roofs, north and south porches, north and south transepts, a chancel, two vestries, and a tower at the crossing. The tower is in three stages, with a stair turret rising to a higher level at the southeast corner. In the lowest stage, on the north and south sides, are pairs of two-light transomed windows. The middle stage contains clock faces in lozenge-shaped frames on the north and south sides, and two round-arched lancet windows in the east and west sides. In the top stage are two-light bell openings on each side, flanked by blind arches. At the top of the tower is a parapet with a quatrefoil frieze, and a small pyramidal roof.[3]

The five-light east window is in Decorated style. At the top of the east gable is a small stone cross. Along the north aisle are buttresses, two-light Geometric-style windows and a porch. The north transept has a three-light window, and an adjacent apsidal vestry. Along the south aisle are windows, some of which are lancets, the others containing plate tracery, and a gabled porch. In the south transept is blind arcading containing slit windows. At the west end of the church are three buttressed gables, each with topped by a small stone cross. The west window has four lights, and in each of the aisles is a two-light window; all have Decorated tracery.[3]

The arcades between the nave and the aisles have seven bays. The arches in the north arcade have pointed arches, and those in the south arcade have round arches. The arcades to the transepts have two bays. The south aisle contains a kitchen, a meeting room and a toilet; the north aisle has been converted into a parish office, a reception area, and a lounge.[3] The furniture, other than the recently added altar and communion rails, was designed by Paley and Austin.[4] The choir stalls are decorated with pierced friezes, and have poppyhead finials. The wooden pulpit is polygonal, and is decorated with a frieze of pierced tracery. The font consists of a square bowl in an octagonal stem, with black marble shafts at the corners.[3] The stained glass in the east window dates from 1893, and is by Burlison and Grylls.[4] It depicts the Sermon on the Mount. There is stained glass in other windows by different designers.[8]