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.
"When Oswald won his kingdom in battle, he invited the monastic community of Irish monks on the Hebridean island of Iona to send him a bishop to bring the Christian faith to his new people. Oswald had lived among the Iona community (founded by Columba) as an exiled prince, and taken on the Christian faith.
Oswald acted as interpreter for Irish monks when they prayed and preached, probably including Bishop Aidan who was sent from Iona. Aidan's community was based on Holy Island, Lindisfarne, a few miles offshore from Bamburgh, the royal base for Oswald and his family." Source: (
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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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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.
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