St Mary with Holy Trinity

Mariners, merchants and a faithful community are celebrated in memorials and stained glass. Come and discover their stories in our beautiful Ulverston Parish Church.

Our beautiful Grade II* listed building dates from 1111, the arched Norman entryway linking over 900 years of continuous worship in this place. The current main aisle of the church dates from the 16th century followed by five major works. Our prosperous Victorian ancestors both extended and refurbished the building, with most of the stunning stained glass fitted in the 1860s. The bell tower (restored in 1541) replaced a structure that blew down, destroying most of the previous building! It was rebuilt using stone from nearby dissolved Conishead and Furness Abbeys. The current bells are accessed by a winding spiral staircase of 34 stone steps, leading to the ringing chamber and on to the peal of six bells, which were cast in 1836 by Whitechapel Foundry.

The church rests below Hoad Hill with its eye catching monument to Sir John Barrow, possibly Ulverston’s most famous son (after Stan Laurel!), who rose to be second secretary of the Admiralty and was responsible for promoting many voyages of Arctic and Antarctic discovery, as well as exploration to Timbuktu. His parents are buried in the extensive and fascinating churchyard and there is a memorial, hatchment and stained glass window dedicated to Sir John inside the church building. Other important local families are also remembered and celebrated in the church, including the impressive tomb of William Sandys of Conishead Priory, containing ... nothing! The said gentlemen is rumoured to have been murdered in 1559 and his body disposed of in Morecambe Bay. The stained glass windows reflect sparkling spectrums of light across the church. Look out for a heraldic window in the side chapel which is a most confusing mish-mash of coats of arms belonging to the Braddyll family, which the college of heraldry tells us only conforms to a few of the accepted rules. Meanwhile, among our more dubious claims to fame is that George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, was ejected from the church on three separate occasions!

The Cumbria in Bloom award winning church garden is also a designated Quiet Garden, and wildlife haven offering a beautiful tranquil setting in which to sit and rest a while.

The Heritage page of our website contain activities for families, exhibitions (including a tour of our stained glass) and videos, as well as information about our biodiversity and mapping projects.