Welcome
St Mary's Church is located on Main Street, Ingleton, LA6 3EB opposite the Co-op. St Mary's is normally open 10am-4pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (though this can be subject to change at short notice due to Covid) as well as for Sunday services at 10:30am. Contact clergy for latest details.
Parking can be found at the Three Horse Shoes pub shortly before the church (for a small donation in their charity box), or alternatively at the community centre pay and display car park located before the railway bridge, LA6 3HG.
For groups and services the church back room is open and refreshments are normally available. The church is disabled access friendly including toilets, and has baby changing facilities. (Availability limited due to coronavirus).
History
The Church we see today dates only from 1886 but it is possible that there has been a place of worship on the site since the 12th century as the font dates back to Norman times – around 1150. The oldest remaining part of the present Church is the tower of 15th century perpendicular style.
In the 16th century the Church was named after the patron saint, St Leonard. When the change of dedication took place is unknown but by the 18th century the Church had become St Mary’s.
In 1743 the Church was substantially rebuilt when the nave was replaced by an unattractive construction that was referred to as a “barn with mill windows”. The Ingleton Parish Registers record that almost 450 people were buried inside the Church. Evidence of these burials emerged when over 300 skulls were discovered when the foundations for the present Church were excavated in the 1800s. Many of the memorial floor tablets from inside the old Church were preserved and now lie in parts of the churchyard.