Church of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a Grade II listed building located on Townley Street in Middleton. It was constructed in 1902, with a side chapel added in 1926 and a tower completed in 1930. The church was designed by the architectural firm Austin and Paley and is built from snecked stone with a clay tile roof.

This Gothic Revival church features a Perpendicular style, comprising a four-bay nave and aisles supported by weathered buttresses. The nave includes two, three, and four-light flat-headed aisle windows, as well as three-light round-arched clerestory windows adorned with Perpendicular tracery. The gables are coped with kneelers and topped with cross finials. The organ chamber and vestry are both gabled and have transversely roofed structures. Notably, the west and east windows are five-light, with the west window positioned above a canted baptistry.

The four-stage tower is characterized by diagonal buttresses and an octagonal corner stair turret. Each stage is separated by bands, and the tower features a door set within chequer-patterned stonework, a four-light window, clock faces on the third stage, three-light belfry openings, and a castellated parapet that is topped with a blind mouchette frieze.

Inside, the church showcases rock-faced stone, double-chamfered arches on octagonal columns of the nave arcade, and tie-beam and collar roof trusses. The interior is further enhanced by carved stone and timber fittings, as well as stained glass windows.

The church is situated on an elevated site, adding to its prominence in the area.