St Anne

There has been a church on the present site since 1616. However, the remains of a chapel dedicated to St Anne, in 1511 by Thomas Birkhede, can be found on the other side of the A591.

The rebuilding of the church in 1743 in its present form was due to Robert Bateman, an English merchant of Livorno in Tuscany, born at Reston, near Staveley. The chancel is floored with marble which Bateman had sent, possibly from the famous marble quarries at Carrara.

On 6th October 1802 Dorothy Wordsworth recorded the following in her journal: ‘...Ings chapel...is a neat little place, with a marble floor and marble communion table...’

In 1842 the church was extensively refurnished with box pews and the whole church painted and redecorated. The work was paid for by subscription, included in the list on the west wall of the nave is Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV.

In 1876, an extension was built to house the organ and vestry on the north side of the church. A few years later, in 1883, a new east window, designed by Edward Frampton, of Buckingham Palace Road, London, was dedicated. Other windows were designed by Shrigley and Hunt, a Lancaster firm founded in 1875.

The intricate oak carved Reredos, lectern and pulpit is by a local woodcarver, William Fell, dates from 1898. He also carved a vivid self portrait which hangs on the North wall of the church close to the pulpit. Note the oversized cherub heads of the font, which sit uncomfortably on the baluster base. The wooden door lock of 1682 is an unusual find and is perhaps reused from the earlier church.

In 2012, the church underwent a major refurbishment. While the building retains its main focus as a place of worship it has been adapted for wider community use.