Kendal's Parrish is a beautiful church.  The exterior is unassuming, but provokes interest.  The interior is absolutely stunning.  It is five aisles wide, has several service areas (chapels), two organs and lots of stained glass and carvings.

I hope these pictures succeed in conveying the beauty of this church.  

I know a couple of talented people who would love to get their hands on this organ.  I was at a concert here, 70 member choir, 10 pc brass band, and two organists.   One of the organ solos was Carillon de Westminster.  Marvelous! 

Kendal is a large town, said to be the largest in the south lakes district.  There's a castle ruin above the town, the parish is said to be the widest in England, it's where the famous Kendal Mint Cake originated (went to top of Everest), it has a great market, it has a large artist community and has several other notable points of interest.  

First erected in the 13th century, Kendal Castle is said to be the birthplace of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth wife.

This is the largest part of the ruin.  Off to the left (out of view) is what remains of the tower, you can see part of the wall to the right.  The wall continues around the inner compound and the moat has dried up.  

This is a view looking up main street.  The center of town opens up to the market place and is often restricted to traffic.

This arch opens to one of the parks.  Double click on the image, zero in on the center of the arch and check out the view.   

01-07-09;  Another of Ulverston's famous personalities is Sir John Barrow.  Just outside of town is the monument to his memory, which was built in 1850.  Sir John Barrow "was a naval administrator and traveller...He promoted extensive British exploration in the 19th century, most notably in West Africa and the North & South Polar regions." 

 

The monument is built on Hoad Hill, 430 feet above sea level.  I was able to ride the bike a quarter of the way up, walked it another 1/4, then left the bike and hiked the rest of the way.

It was 3pm when I decided to leave the bike and make the hike.  I'd just finished my bag lunch and hemmed & hawed, trying to decide if it was too late to make the trip.  But as I was deciding, a few people walked by & as I finished my lunch, I could see it didn't take long for them to get to the monument.  All said & done, it was a 15 minute hike (at my pace).

Double click on any of these images to really appreciate the beauty of the vistas. 

The views are tremendous, hills to the north covered with snow, still a lot of green on the slopes (these pictures were taken in early December) and the air was crystal clear.  

Look carefully and you'll notice the railroad bridge over the upper reach of Morecombe Bay.  This view is over the steepest part of the Hoad.  I've been told a local resident living at the bottom, often has to call the rescue squad because a mountain biker has come down the hill and out of control, has gotten stuck in the fence at the property line.