St James' Church is in the village of Great Ormside, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. The parish is united with nine other parishes and thirteen places of worship to form the Heart of Eden benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It stands on top of a circular mound overlooking the River Eden. History The mound on which the church stands was a sacred site before the coming of Christianity, and was used as a burial place by the Vikings. The date of the first Christian church on the site is unknown, but the nave of the present church dates from the late 11th century. A north aisle was added and the chancel was widened in about the middle of the 12th century. The west tower was built in the following century. In the early 16th century the chancel was further enlarged, making it wider than the nave. The Hilton chapel was built in 1723, replacing the former north aisle. The church was restored in 1885–86 by C. J. Ferguson at a cost of £732 (). During the restoration the north arcade was rebuilt, tracery was installed in the windows of the Hilton Chapel, and a new south doorway and porch were added to the west of the original doorway. In 1893 the tower was re-roofed. Architecture Exterior The church is constructed in sandstone rubble. The roofs are slated on the south side, and covered in stone flags on the north. Its plan consists of a nave with a porch to the south and the Hilton Chapel to the north, a chancel wider than the nave, a north vestry, and a west tower. The nave measures by , and the chancel by . The tower is about square. The basic architectural style is Norman. The tower is in three stages, with large angular buttresses. It is defensive in nature, with no external doorway, three tiers of narrow lancet windows on the west and south sides, and without windows on the north side. The height of the tower has been reduced, with a few corbels of the former parapet remaining. It is surmounted by a pitched roof. On the south side of the church is a gabled porch, to the east