This afternoon we popped up to Ings, near Staveley, to listen to the Bloomsbury Players. The concert took place in St Anne's Church.
I've driven past this pretty little church thousands of times, but never stopped to explore. I was surprised to discover that the church is Georgian, and one of only a handful of churches of this era in the North of England.
There has been a church on the spot since 1511, although the present church was rebuilt in 1743 at the behest of Robert Bateman, an English merchant. His portrait hangs on the North wall of the nave. The design chosen by Bateman was in the current Georgian style, similar in many details to his new house at Reston. The base of the tower was used as a small vestry. Above it was a West gallery used by musicians and singers before the later installation of the organ. Bateman gave three bells to the church, which still hang in the tower and one carries the words "Robert Bateman Merchant in Leghorn 1743". The chancel and sanctuary were floored with marble, which Bateman had sent, possibly from the famous marble quarries at Carrara.
On 4th October 1802 William Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson in North Yorkshire. Two days later along with Dorothy, William’s sister, they paid an afternoon visit to St Anne’s on their way home to Dove Cottage, Grasmere. Dorothy recorded the following in her journal. "Nothing particular occurred till we reached Ings chapel. The door was open, and we went in. It is a neat little place, with a marble floor and marble communion table....."
St Anne's is a lovely church and we're looking forward to visiting again soon.
