Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade II listed church built in 1818 for George Brown, the lord of the manor of Arkengarthdale. It is constructed of coursed rubble with a graduated Westmorland slate roof and is designed in the Early English style as a Commissioners' church. The building features a nave and chancel under one roof, with a vestry projecting on the north side and a west tower. The church has five bays, each with 2-light windows that include Y-tracery, separated by thin buttresses. The sixth bay has a blank window beneath a gable flanked by pinnacles. The east window consists of four lights. The three-stage tower has blank lancets on the north and south sides of the lower two stages, while the third stage features belfry openings with Y-tracery. Access to the church is through the west door of the tower, which is set under a four-centred arch.

Inside, the church has a large single hall without aisles or chancel divisions. A west gallery is supported by quadrilobate wooden columns. Notable fittings include the original font, which has a fluted column supporting a small basin and a pyramidal cover, as well as a second font given by George Gilpin-Brown in 1891. There are fragments of stained pitch-pine box pews at the west end, with the remainder converted into a dado. The pews date from the late 19th century. The original stained pitch-pine pulpit and a simple turned baluster altar rail are also present, along with commandment boards and memorials to George Brown, the church's donor, and Rev John Gilpin. This church replaced an older church at Arkle Town, which had been damaged by flooding.