IChurch · listed 1951Kendal Parish ChurchOn the list as Church of Holy TrinityPhoto: Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0
Church of Holy Trinity · Photo: Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0A−History Grade
History of Kendal · Historic England
183 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I
On the Historic England list, all of them stand inside Kendal’s built-up area, 63 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 6 scheduled monuments. We have photos of 11 of its listed buildings and 3 old views of the town. 20% of its homes were built before 1919. Kendal grades A− for history: #10 of 23 in Cumbria.
Listed buildings
183
63 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
3
exceptional interest
Grade II*
11
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
6
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
20%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Kendal in 18 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Abbot Hall Art GalleryGrade I listed
Castle Dairy, 26 Wildman StreetGrade I listed
The BreweryGrade II listed
Property Adjoining South Side of Fleece InnGrade II listed
Change Bridge over former Lancaster-Kendal CanalGrade II listed+13See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Kendal from 1898 to 1921
3 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
1898
1921
Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Kendal’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monument
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
1 of 16neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 55% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
183 listed buildings by grade
3 Grade I11 Grade II*169 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The 3 Grade I listed buildings in Kendal
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
IPublic · listed 1951Abbot Hall Art GalleryPhoto: Jhsteel · CC BY-SA 3.0
IPublic · listed 1951The Castle DairyOn the list as Castle Dairy, 26 Wildman StreetPhoto: Diane Griffiths · CC BY 2.0
Grade II*
The 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Kendal
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 5 are photographed.
II*Church · listed 1985Church of Holy Trinity and St GeorgePhoto: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Church · listed 1951Friends Meeting HousePhoto: OLU · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 1951Highgate HotelPhoto: Nicholas Mutton · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*House · listed 1969Numbers 26 and 28 with Entrance to Yard 24Photo: Curran2 · CC0
II*Inns & shops · listed 1992Shop and Adjoining Public ConveniencePhoto: Victuallers · CC BY-SA 4.0
House · listed 1951Collinfield Farmhouse
House · listed 1951Helsington Laithes Farmhouse
House · listed 1969No.7 (Includes 9 and 11)
House · listed 1951Nos 13, 15, 17, 17A and 19
House · listed 1969Nos 39, 43, 45, 45A and Entrance to Yard 41
House · listed 1951Wattsfield Farmhouse and Cottage
Historic streets
The Lowther Street and Market Place have the most listed buildings
Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.
Lowther Street8 listed
Market Place8 listed
Highgate7 listed
Thorny Hills7 listed
Stramongate5 listed
Stricklandgate5 listed
Of the 183 entries, 54 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.
What’s protected
Most of Kendal’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas116
Public & civic buildings20
Inns, shops & warehouses18
Walls, gates & bridges16
Churches, chapels & priories9
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
Street furniture1
116 entries (63%) are houses, terraces and villas. 9 are churches, chapels and priories, including 1 of the 3 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
169 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
The first 150 of 169 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Anchorite WellAynam Lodge and AynacoteBank House and Bank CottageBeezon LodgeBridge Carrying Farm Road to North East of Helsington Laithes FarmhouseBridge HouseCall Stone Magistrates Court Town HallCarnegie Library and Forecourt RailingsCentral Primary School Opposite Number 23Change Bridge over former Lancaster-Kendal CanalChurch of St ThomasCoach House to North-East of Mint HouseCottage Adjoining West End of Queen's ClubCounty OfficesCropper Memorial in North-East Corner of Abbot Hall Recreation GroundDrinking Fountain in Grounds of Brewery Arts Centre to South West of No 118Drinking Fountain on South Side of Abbot Hall Recreation GroundEntrance to Yard 34Flats a,B,C,D,E,F Grandy NookFleece Inn and Yard EntranceFormer Gas Company Facade to North-West of Nos 9 and 11 Church WalkFormer Public Wash House and Baths with Adjoining Public ConvenienceFormer Romney House HotelFormer Woolpack Inn, And Entrance to Yard 56Garden HouseGate Piers and Forecourt Wall to West of Wattsfield FarmhouseGate Piers at No.162Gate Piers, Gates, And Railings to Churchyard EntranceGeorge and DragonGilling Reane House with Integral Lodge and Adjoining GarageGlobe InnHelme LodgeHill Cote and Garden Walls Adjoining to East and WestHsbc BankIcehouse in South-West Angle of Natland Mill Beck Bridge and Disused CanalKendal United Reformed ChurchKentdale Nursing HomeKirkbie Kendal Lower SchoolLittleholmeLynnside House with Garden Wall Adjoining to WestMarket Hall and No 16Memorial Cross in Churchyard to West of Church PorchMilestones Flanking Steps to Entrance of Number 128Mint CottageMint House and BarnMuseum of Lakeland Life and IndustryNatland Mill Beck Farmhouse and Attached CottageNatland Mill Beck bridge over Lancaster/Kendal CanalNetherfield Works, Kendal War MemorialNew InnNo 26A and Passage on Northern SideNo 44 Branthwaite Brow, Market PlaceNo 50 and Entrance to Yard 52No 69 (Including Nos 69A and 69B)No 7 Yard 17: Shop Adjoining East End of Number 19 HighgateNo. 25 and Entrance to Yard 23No. 29 and Entrance to Yard 27No. 30, KIRKLANDNo. 34, MARKET PLACENo. 69 and Entrance to Yard 67No. 95, STRICKLANDGATENo.108 and Passage Entry to No.110No.54 and Entrance to Yard 56Nos 130 and 132 Including Area Railings to No 130Nos 17-21 and Entrance to New ShamblesNos 22-28 with Entrance to Yard 30Nos 27 and 29 and Entrance to Yard 31Nos 47 and 49 Branthwaite Brow, Market PlaceNos 54 and 56, Branthwaite Brow, Market PlaceNos 58-62 (Grosvenor House) and Entrance to Side of 58Nos 8, 10 and 10A, HighgateNos. 42 (Nag's Head) and 46 and Entrance to Yard 44Nos. 48 50/50A with Entrance to Yard 50 (Stramongate Court)Number 11 and Entrance to Yard 9Number 117 and Entrance to Yard 119Number 147 and Entrance to Yard 149Number 151 and Entrance to Yard 153Number 28 and Entrance to Yard 28Number 32 (Rainbow Hotel) and Entrance to Yard 32Number 32 Incorporating Entrance to Yard 32A and Number 32B Adjoining to RearNumber 40 and Entrance to Unitarian ChapelNumber 41 and Entrance to Yard 43Number 60 and Entrance to Yard 62Number 99 and Entrance to Yard 97Numbers 21 and 25 and Entrance to Yard 23Numbers 52, 54 and PassageOxenholme Farmhouse and RaysholmeParish HallParkside House and ParklandsProperty Adjoining South Side of Fleece InnQueen's ClubRear of No 19 Market Place and Nos. 3-23 InclusiveRing O'bells Public HouseSand Aire HouseSandes Hospital CottagesSleddale HallSnuff WorksStricklandgate HouseSundial in Churchyard to West of NaveThe BreweryThe Dun HorseThe Shakespeare Inn and Basement ShopTown ViewUnitarian Chapel and Schoolroom to North East of Number 40Wall with Bee Boles in Garden to North of No 4, Prospect TerraceWall with Bee Boles to Rear of No 45War MemorialWarehouse at Head of LaneWarehouse to North of Number 12Yard 2; Smoke HouseYard 83 (Dr Manning's Yard)Yard 83 (Dr Manning's Yard)Yard 83 (Dr Manning's Yard)Yard 83 (Dr Manning's Yard) Nos 14 and 16 and PassageYard 83 (Dr Manning's Yard) Smoke House to South West of Nos 14,1610, Market Place10,10A,11,11A, Thorny Hills100, Highgate109, Burneside Road12, Collin Croft134 and 136, Highgate138, Highgate156, 158, 160, 162, 164, Stricklandgate157, Stricklandgate16, Collin Croft163 and 163A, HIGHGATE18 and 20, Market Place19, Lowther Street2, Market Place2, Stramongate2,4,6,8,10, New Shambles20, Lowther Street23 and 25, Market Place24 and 26, Lowther Street27, Stricklandgate28, Finkle Street28, Lowther Street28,30, Milnthorpe Road29, Lowther Street3, Thorny Hills30, Highgate30, Lowther Street31, 37, Stramongate32, Market Place33 and 33A, Beast Banks34, Lowther Street35 and 37, Market Place36, Market Place36, Stramongate4, Market Place
Conservation areas
1 conservation area covers 20% of Kendal
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Kendal 1969168 ha
168 hain conservation areas, of 843 ha inside the built-up area.
163 of the 183 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
68 of Kendal’s 183 listed buildings were added in 1969
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1969 · 681985 · 461951 · 41
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 41 entries were listed in 1951, 3 of the 3 Grade I buildings among them. 68 came in 1969, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 3 have been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
6 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
History Grade
Kendal grades A− for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (212 points, 73 per 10,000 residents)More than 78% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (20%)More than 61% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Born here
38 notable people born in Kendal before 1900
The 20 best known on one timeline, earliest first.
Richard Braithwaite
Ephraim Chambers
Thomas Shaw
Anthony Shepherd
Alan Chambré
Daniel Gardner
John Gough
John Bell
Edward Holme
William Wood
Isaac Crewdson
George Webster
William Dodd
Edward Hughes Thompson
Joseph Bevan Braithwaite
William Thomas Benson
John Charles Dent
Richard Baron
William Garnett Braithwaite
Arthur Eddington
155016001650170017501800185019001950
Arthur Eddington1882–1944 · British astrophysicist (1882-1944)
EC
Ephraim Chambers1680–1740 · English writer and encyclopaedist
Richard Braithwaite1588–1673 · English poet
TS
Thomas Shaw1692–1751 · British cleric and traveller; (1694-1751)
RB
Richard Baron1847–1907 · British botanist and geologist (1847-1907)
WW
William Wood1774–1857 · English surgeon, zoologist and entomologist
WD
William Dodd1804– · English writer and social activist
Edward Hughes Thompson1810–1886 · American politician (1810-1886)
Everyone born in Kendal → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Kendal has the 37th most Grade I buildings of 350 towns its size
Places of 17,000–46,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Kendal3
#59 of 350for listed buildings per resident (63 per 10,000). Stamford, Cirencester and Bury St Edmunds lead.
36 have more. The typical town its size has 1.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Kendal
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal | 28,939 | 183 | 3 | A− |
| Levens | 1,020 | 3 | 0 | C+ |
| Staveley | 1,466 | 5 | 0 | B |
| Milnthorpe | 1,871 | 7 | 0 | B− |
| Windermere | 4,819 | 24 | 0 | B+ |
| Bowness-on-Windermere | 2,290 | 26 | 1 | A− |
| Holme | 1,477 | 6 | 0 | B− |
| Sedbergh | 1,449 | 53 | 1 | A+ |
In brief
Kendal in brief
Per resident, Kendal has more listed heritage than 78% of UK towns. All told, the list holds 183 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I, including Kendal Parish Church. Only 36 of the 350 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings. On Lowther Street alone there are 8 listed buildings.
A conservation area has protected part of it since 1969. Most entries on the list, 63%, are houses, terraces and villas. Arthur Eddington (1882), Ephraim Chambers (1680) and Richard Braithwaite (1588) are among the 38 people born here before 1900. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: 20% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 15% in the typical UK town.
Questions about Kendal’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Kendal?
Historic England lists 183 buildings inside Kendal’s built-up area: 3 Grade I, 11 Grade II* and 169 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Kendal?
3, including Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Castle Dairy, 26 Wildman Street and Church of Holy Trinity.
Which street in Kendal has the most listed buildings?
Lowther Street (8), Market Place (8) and Highgate (7) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.
Are there scheduled monuments in Kendal?
Yes, 6 scheduled monuments, including Castle Howe motte and bailey, Greenside lime kiln 480m west of Castle Howe, Kendal Castle and associated earthworks, and earlier ringwork and Miller Bridge.
How many conservation areas are there in Kendal?
1, covering about 168 hectares of the town. The largest is Kendal.
When were Kendal’s buildings listed?
The first in 1951; the most, 68, in 1969.
Are there old photos of Kendal?
Yes: 3 public-domain photos and postcards from 1898 to 1921, all on this page.
Who was born in Kendal?
Among people born before 1900: Arthur Eddington (1882), Ephraim Chambers (1680), Richard Braithwaite (1588), Thomas Shaw (1692) and Richard Baron (1847).
How old are the homes in Kendal?
20% of homes were built before 1919 and 35% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.