Ings History
St Anne's Church
It seems likely that there has been a church in Ings since 1511, probably on the site of St Anne’s Farm, at the top of Grassgarth Lane on the other side of the A591 from the present church. Remains can still be seen there which may date from that time or possibly from an even earlier church. A chapel on the present site of the church may have been built in or near the year 1616.
The rebuilding of the church in 1743 in its present form was due to Robert Bateman, an English merchant of Leghorn (Livorno) in Tuscany, probably born (to a poor family) at Reston, near Staveley. 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....."
1n 1876, an extension was built to house the organ and vestry on the north side of the church. It seems likely that the chancel was raised then and the marble floor relaid. The box pews were replaced by open pine pews. A few years later, in 1883, a new East window was dedicated. Its subject was The Transfiguration. In 1898 the panelling behind the altar and a lectern and pulpit of carved oak were added to the church. These were the work of a local woodcarver, William Fell of Common Farm.
The school closed in 1972 and then reopened in October 1979 as Ings Parish Hall thanks to the work of the Parochial Church Council and the then Vicar, Ian Robins. In 2012, the church underwent a major refurbishment in order to create a flexible, multi-purpose space. While the building retains its main focus as a place of worship it has been adapted for wider community use. The pews were replaced by moveable chairs and a new sandstone floor was laid with an under-floor heating system powered by an air-source heat pump. Secondary glazing was installed and it was redecorated inside and out to a scheme suggested by the National Trust.
Click here to view a short history of St Anne's Church (<1 MB).