The East end
The marble reredos behind the main altar incorporates mosaics, executed by Bell and Almond of London, depicting the symbols of the Gospel writers and the Passion. The reredos, and the whole chancel extension, were designed as part of the Victorian restoration by Paley and Austin . The funding was provided by Henry W. Schneider, the famous iron and rail man of Barrow, a local benefactor and one time churchwarden who lived at, what is now, the Belsfield Hotel. The west window under the tower was a memorial to his second wife.
Behind and above the altar is the magnificent East Window which contains some very fine stained glass, most of which dates from the 15th century. However, it is not all of this period. Some of the glass at the top is earlier, and the restoration of 1870 made good the damage believed to have been done by Cromwell’s soldiers. This included replacing the faces of the saints. All the new glass of that period was initialled by the artist, Mr Henry Hughes. A full photographic record of the window is available on the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi: Medieval Stained Glass in Great Britain web site.
The history of the window is obscure but it is thought that the glass probably came from Cartmel Priory. The central theme is the crucifixion, flanked by a group of figures including St George (and the dragon), St Barbara, (also an early martyr to the truth) and St Katherine (patroness of learning and theology). In the medieval period, the prayers of these three so-called auxiliary saints were thought to be most effective in aid of the faithful. The supplicants shown kneeling below include Canons of Cartmel as well as various benefactors wearing their coats of arms. The earliest glass is at the top of the third light from the left; a representation of the Virgin and Child believed to date from 1260. In the Middle Ages the Virgin Mary was traditionally depicted in green (later replaced by blue). There is very little glass older than this anywhere in Britain. Surrounding the 15th century coat of arms of a Prince of Wales are many shields relating to north Lancashire families as well as the Prior of Cartmel (strongly suggesting the window’s origin). In the fifth light from the left, one of the seven shields bears what were believed to be arms of that branch of the Washington family (who had lands around the Warton area of Lancashire in the 1400s) and from whom the first president of the United States was descended. The Stars and Stripes of the American flag may have evolved from the Washington Arms. A discussion of this lineage was provided by Revd Canon Solloway in the 1919 guidebook. This remains a matter of doubt and debate amongst scholars
The technically difficult task of the most recent restoration of the window was placed in the hands of the expert conservators, Jonathan and Ruth Cooke. You can find further details about the window on the display board below the lectern and colour postcards are available on the bookstall.
The mural on the north wall of the Chancel d
epicts the Adoration of the Magi , that on the south wall, the Entombment of Christ (part of the Millennium restoration). These murals, and those on the west wall, were originally added during the 1870 restoration. 
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