St Andrew’s Church, Penrith

Penrith’s St Andrew’s Church has quite a few interesting features.

The Tower is medieval but most of the building was re-built in the 1720s in the Georgian style. The result is a huge, rectangular church with an almost flat roof - looking more like a warehouse from the outside than an English parish church. But inside it’s a different story. A deep gallery sits above the pews on the north, south and west sides, supported by Tuscan columns. The ceiling is a deep red and ornate. The stained glass windows are beautiful.

In the church yard are some Anglo-Saxon artefacts from the 10th century: two crosses and four hogbacks, (known as the Giant’s Grave) and a separate standing cross (known as the Giant’s Thumb).
The Giant’s Grave

Detailed carving on the hog backs
Giant’s Thumb - more spiral carvings


Early antiquarians visit the Giant’s Grave