Strickland Ketel

96 STRICKLAND KETEL (D.f.)

(O.S. 6 in. ^(a)XXXIII, S.E., ^(b)XXXVIII, N.E.)

Strickland Ketel is a parish adjoining that of Kendal on the N.W. Tolson Hall is the principal monument.

Ecclesiastical

^a(1). Parish Church of St. Oswald Burneside, formerly a chapel of Kendal, was entirely re-built in 1826 and again in 1881. It contains from the older building the following:—

Fittings—Bells: two, one inscribed in Lombardic capitals "Sancte Gregori ora pro nobis," probably 15th-century.

Secular

^a(2). Bowston Bridge, over the river Kent 1,160 yards N.N.W. of the church, is a rubble structure of two spans with segmental arches and cutwaters to the central pier. It is probably of the 17th century but has been widened.

Condition—Good.

^a(3). Tolson Hall, 930 yards W.S.W. of the church, is of two storeys; the walls are of rubble and the roofs are slate-covered. It was built by Thomas Tolson, tobacco-merchant, in 1638 and the main block with the E. cross-wing is probably of this period; the outbuilding, N. of the courtyard, may also be original but has been much altered while the W. wing is a modern rebuilding or addition. The exterior retains no ancient features of interest. Inside the building, the panelled room in the main block is lined on three sides with original panelling, with some carved panels and the initials and date T.A.T. 1638 on the N. wall; there are some enriched panels also on the E. wall, one bearing the date 1687; the fireplace has flanking terminal pilasters and an overmantel of doubtful antiquity. The S.E. room on the first floor, has a plaster panel (Plate 51) over the fireplace with foliage and the initials and date T. and A.T. 1639 and C.R. The next room to the N. has a similar plaster panel (Plate 51) with the date and initials 1638 T. and A.T. and I.R.I., a goat's head and a stag's head. Preserved in the house are a number of quarries (Plate 42) of painted glass, one with three pipes, two plugs of tobacco and the inscription "God by this meanes hath sent, what I on this house have spent T.T. 1638"; the second quarry bears three tobacco plugs, the same initials, date and inscription with the additional words "All prayses be unto His name, that gave me meanes to build the same"; a third has a female figure, probably Faith. Other quarries bear the arms of France, England, Scotland, the Clothworkers Company dated 1637, Tolson, Robinson, Braithwaite dated 1637 and those assigned to Robert Townson, Bishop of Salisbury (1620). In the porch are the royal Stuart arms, much dilapidated.

Condition—Good.

Monuments (4–16)

The following monuments, unless otherwise described, are of the 17th century and of two storeys; the walls are of rubble and the roofs are slate-covered. Some of the buildings have exposed ceiling-beams.

Condition—Good or fairly good, unless noted.

^a(4). Gateside, house 250 yards W. of (3).

^a(5). High Crag, cottage, 200 yards N.N.W. of (4).

^a(6). Barbara Crag, house two tenements 110 yards N.N.E. of (5), contains a two-stage cupboard of the local type with enriched upper panels, pendants and enriched fascia with the initials and date A.W. 1659.

^a(7). Garnett House and outbuilding, 750 yards N.W. of the church. The S.E. part of the house has unusually thick walls and may be of the 16th century. The room within it is lined with late 16th-century panelling. There is also a 17th-century panelled partition and cupboard. The Outbuilding, S.W. of the yard is of the 17th century.

^a(8). Bowston Hall, house 1,450 yards N.W. of the church, was built probably early in the 18th century.

^a(9). Outbuilding, formerly cottage, W. of Moss Side and 1¼ m. W. of the church, has had the upper floor removed.

Condition—Poor.

^b(10). Low Brundrigg, house nearly 1½ m. W.S.W. of the church, has a later extension on the S.W. In the N.E. wall is an original window with a solid frame. Inside the building there is some original panelling on both floors and a small cupboard with the initials and date G. and A.D. 1664. A room on the first floor has a plaster frieze of vine-ornament; over the fireplace is a much deeper frieze with three bands of ornament, the royal Stuart arms (Plate 50) and the date and initials 1667 G.D. A.D. The middle lower room has a moulded ceiling-beam.

^b(11). Low Plumgarths, house two tenements 1,560 yards S.W. of the church, has an exposed beam on the S.E. front with the date 1611. The chimneys have cylindrical shafts.

^b(12). Helsfell House, nearly 1¼ m. S.S.W. of the church, has a later extension on the E. The chimneys have cylindrical shafts and inside the building one fireplace has remains of a plastered hood or flue.

^b(13). Outbuilding, probably remains of old Helsfell Hall, 220 yards S.E. of (12), was built probably early in the 16th century. It was formerly of three storeys and has a number of original windows with rounded heads to the lights and moulded labels; they are now blocked. Inside the building is an original moulded ceiling-beam.

^b(14). Hallgarth, house about 1 m. S. of the church.

^b(15). Madgegill, house, two tenements 1,300 yards S.S.W. of the church, contains a small original panelled cupboard. The N. rooms have a plaster cornice carried round the walls and beams and small plaster enrichments in the angles of the ceiling-panels.

^b(16). Hollins, house, two tenements 520 yards S.S.W. of the church, contains a crutch-truss in the W. wing which may indicate a mediæval origin; the main block is of the 17th century. Inside the building is a panelled cupboard of the 17th century and some panelled doors of the same date. A room on the first floor has an enriched plaster frieze of the 17th century and above the fireplace is a plaster panel with three bands of scrolled enrichment. A second room has a frieze of scrolled foliage and the fireplace is flanked by plaster pilasters; over it is a plaster panel (Plate 51) with foliage and the initials and date I.M. 1687. The late 17th-century staircase has turned balusters.