History

Grayrigg was one of the 14 chapels-of-ease to the mother church of the extensive parish of Kendal, i.e. Holy Trinity.  Within the chapelry (now the parish) of Grayrigg were (and are) the several townships of Docker, Lambrigg, Whinfell and Dillicar as well as that of Grayrigg itself.

"Shortly before 1469" is the earliest date we know of so far for the probable first building of a chapel here.  And this may well have been the chapel rebuilt in 1708 when the licence to rebuild stated that it "hath been for several years last past and now is very much out of repair, ruinous and indecent.... the repairing of it otherwise than by pulling it down and rebuilding it would be impractiable".  The chapel was rebuilt at the expense of the inhabitants by a rate laid upon their estates and soon after it was made parochial.  It's register of baptisms, marriage and burials begin in 1730.

By 1829, the 1708 chapel was being described as a "small humble fabric" - although even so, it contained some 288 sittings!  By the 1830's it was decided to replace it.  The present (rather handsome) chapel was built  by subscription in 1837 to designs by George Webster, a Kendal architect of more than local repute.  (Responsible for St Stephen's at New Hutton, St George and St Thomas and Holy Trinity and St George (RC) in Kendal etc. etc.)  However not withstanding the architect's reputation, the walls of the tower gave way and had to be rebuilt (again by subscription) in 1869.

The original 1837 church provided a total of 420 sittings of which 120 were accomodated in the gallery at the west end.  Exactly when the gallery was removed we do not know but  it had disappeared by the time the present (more modest) seating arrangements were introduced in 1909.