A church has been present on the site since at least 1203. This was originally a
chapel of ease to the mother church at
Kendal, becoming a parish in its own right in 1348 at which time the churchyard was consecrated. The church burnt down in 1480, only the
font, the base of the tower, and one door surviving. A new church was built and was
consecrated in 1483. Amongst the benefactors was a local carrier named Bellman, who is said to have provided the lead for the roof. The church at this time had a simple plan, consisting of a
nave with
aisles, and a west tower. It contained
box pews, a
rood loft, a three-decker
pulpit and, by 1812, a west gallery. On the walls and roof beams were
murals and painted biblical texts. In 1870 the church was
restored by the
Lancaster architects
Paley and Austin. The benefactors at this time included the local industrialist and politician
Henry Schneider. Paley and Austin extended the
chancel, raised the tower, to which they added a
saddleback roof, and replaced the seating. During the restoration, painted inscriptions that had been covered in whitewash were rediscovered. Around this time murals were painted on the walls by Henry Hughes of London, who also restored the east window. In 1911 a
vestry was added at the northeast, designed by W. L. Dolman. It was made into a memorial chapel in 1922 by Dolman to commemorate the 71 men from the parish who died in the First World War and as a thanksgiving for those who returned. The fund-raising for this was led by
Sir William Forwood. Later in the 20th century, pews were removed from the back of the church to make a social area, and the choir vestry was made into a children's wing. At the turn of the millennium a glass screen was inserted in the tower arch, creating the Tower Room. ==Architecture==