St Oswald's is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. It is situated by the banks of the River Rothay in the centre of Grasmere village in the heart of the Lake District.
It is an historic place of worship, that has over 100,000 visitors each year.
The church was founded in 642AD by St Oswald, a 7th Century Christian King of Northumberland, who is said to have preached on this site.
Every year on the Saturday nearest St Oswald’s Day (5 Aug), Grasmere celebrates its Rushbearing Festival. This custom dates back to the days when the earthen floor of the church was strewn with rushes for warmth and cleanliness. The floor has been flagged since 1841, but the ceremony still continues.
The poet William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard. He planted eight of the yew trees in the churchyard, one of them marking the grave of him and his wife Mary. His sister Dorothy, his children Dora, William, Thomas and Catherine, Mary’s sister Sara Hutchinson, and other members of the family are buried nearby.
There is also the grave of Hartley Coleridge, eldest son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
St Oswald's Church is a Grade I listed building. The description given by Historic England reads as follows;
"451914 1945/7/51 GRASMERE 1945/18/51 CHURCH OF ST OSWALD 21-JAN-67
GV I
GRASMERE 1. 1291A Church of St Oswald NY 30 NW 7/51 12.1.67. NY 3307 18/51
I GV
2. Unusual building of C14, with arcade and roof of circa 1562 and C17. Sturdy castellated west tower with a batter and narrow cusped lancet window. South porch. Very sturdy proportions. Interior very original, with 2 naves divided by a two-tier arcade, the upper arches standing on the apex of the lower ones. The arcades do not reach the ridge, but there is a king-post open roof (not identical) over each nave. Mural monuments of early C19. Wordsworth bust in relief 1851 by Thomas Woolner.
Listing NGR: NY3373407381"
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The castellated west tower of the church is built of unhewn boulders probably taken from the riverbed of the Rothay, the walls are up to 4 feet thick, and the tower is 65 feet tall.
The clock mounted on tower was given to mark the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Victoria in 1897.
There are three ringing bells in the tower and a mechanism that provides striking for the quarters and hour throughout the day and night.
The tower was renovated in 2017.
" In December 2017 a project was completed to repair the Church Tower and restore its former white lime render.
In the early 19th century, St Oswald’s Church was covered with a cement based render. In 2010 a large piece of this fell from the top of the west wall. Five years elapsed before a clear strategy was reached on how to repair the wall.
In 2017, the old render was completely removed from the tower and replaced with lime render. At the same time, other essential repairs were carried out, largely to its pinnacles, castellations and roof. Advantage was taken while the scaffolding was in place to refurbish the clock dials." SOURCE: (
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St Oswald's Church has a ring of three bells, with a ground floor ringing chamber.
Bell Weight Nominal Note Diameter Dated Founder
1 6-1-6 1071.0 C 32.75" 1809 Thomas Mears and Son
2 9-2-11 889.5 Bd 36.00" 1731 Edward II Seller
3 13-0-15 830.0 Ab 42.38" 1731 Edward II Seller
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