Church Of St Michael

SD 42SE MUCH HOOLE LIVERPOOL OLD ROAD

7/71 Church of St. Michael 11.11.1966 GV II*

Church, 1628, of vernacular form, with west front and tower, 1722 in classical style. Red brick on stone plinth, white ashlar tower, slate roof. Single vessel incorporating tower which rises through the ridge at the west end; short C19 chancel. Low gabled porch on south side has segmental entrance arch with leaf spandrels and a hoodmould, above which is a tablet with the words "PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD BELIEVE LOVE OBEY"; gable coping has flaming urn finials on the kneelers and at the apex; inside porch is a studded plank door in wooden doorcase with lintel lettered in relief "1628", and painted Commandment and Lord's Prayer tables. Diaper patterns of blue headers on side walls of porch and on nave wall to the left of it. North wall has a flush doorcase matching the porch entrance, with a studded plank door. Both side walls have round-headed stone mullion windows with hollow spandrels: west of the doors two of 4 lights, and east of them three similar but higher windows, the easternmost of 3 lights. The gabled west front has a band at eaves level broken in the centre by a blank arch of Tuscan demi-columns supporting a 2-stage tower which rises through the tympanum. The arch embraces a door with moulded architrave, and its head is filled with a large oval bullseye with moulded surround and keystone. Gable coping has kneelers, one bearing a flaming urn finial. Tower has rusticated quoins, bands on both levels, a rectangular window with 2 cusped lights, round-headed belfry openings each with 2 slated louvres, and a battlemented coping with pinnacles; south wall of tower has- a large painted sundial dated 1875. On nave -roof beside rear corners of tower are gabled dormer windows which illuminate an interior wall where the eastern corners of the tower are supported on an arch of free-standing Tuscan columns. Interior of nave has low coved ceiling, galleries on the south and west sides supported on iron columns and approached by a quarter-turn stair with turned and splat balusters. Furnishings include: a fine raised box pulpit with a sounding board, and in front of this a carved Cl7 desk (not in situ); a polygonal font (on square pillar) lettered on one side "DEO/DONUM/JOHAN/STONES/AN DOM/1663"; box pews, some with C17 bench ends; and on south wall a Victorian tablet commemorating Jeremiah Horrocks (Curate of Hoole and astronomer, d. 1641), and a large hatchment. (VCH Lancs; Pevsner)

Listing NGR: SD4630322321