Church Of St Michael

Church of St Michael, York

A parish church, now used as a pastoral centre. The building comprises a late 12th-century aisled nave with sanctuary and an embraced west tower, substantially altered over the centuries. The original arcades date to the late 12th century and were heightened in the 15th century. The north wall is 14th-century work, partly rebuilt in 1868. The tower is mid-15th-century. In 1821 the church was significantly reduced in size: the east end and south aisle were rebuilt by architects J B and W Atkinson. The tower was lowered in 1966–67 and the church was refurbished in 1989.

The building is constructed of coursed magnesian limestone and tooled gritstone, with tiled roofs to the church body and a pyramidal slate roof to the tower.

The exterior presents a double-chamfered plinth with an embattled parapet over a moulded eaves string. The east and south sides each have three windows of four cinquefoiled lights with panel-traceried heads and hoodmoulds, set over a moulded sill string. At the north end of the east wall the sill string steps up to form a hoodmould over a shallow-arched doorway containing a plank door with attached Gothick tracery. A painted clock face is set into the west end of the south wall. The north side, partly obscured by No. 24 Spurriergate, has a chamfered plinth and two 4-light windows matching those to the south. The two-stage embattled tower has a recessed doorway approached by steps between offset buttresses on cut-back moulded plinths. The doorway is four-centred with two hollow-chamfered orders beneath a hoodmould on head stops. It contains original double doors with blind Perpendicular tracery to the upper part; the lower part was remade with 18th-century fielded panels and a panelled wicket door. Above this is an arched window of four cinquefoiled lights with panel tracery and hoodmould. To the north of the tower, beneath a gabled roof, is a 4-light window with renewed mullions and a blocked traceried head in a chamfered opening. To the south is a similar window to those in the south wall. Quadrant-shaped rainwater heads on each side of the tower are dated 1821 and 1834 respectively.

The interior contains a remarkable panelled reredos against the east wall, composed in the form of a Palladian arch with fluted Corinthian pilasters. The frieze carries shell and palm mouldings carved in relief beneath an enriched cornice. The reredos incorporates round-headed boards for the Commandments, Creed and Paternoster. Additional carvings include a dove in glory in the head of the central panel, winged cherub heads over the flanking panels, and St Michael slaying a dragon above, flanked by urns. The communion rails are richly carved with turned balusters between panelled standards and a heavy moulded handrail carved with foliage.

The north and south arcades each consist of three and a half bays of two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, rising on piers of four clustered columns with waterleaf capitals and hollow-chamfered abaci. Moulded bases sit below the present floor level. The tower arches are of three hollow-chamfered orders on piers and responds of eight clustered columns and shafts; the capitals are 15th-century replica waterleaf capitals with moulded bases. The east arch is closed by a fine pedimented doorcase with double doors of raised and fielded panels in an eared and fasciated architrave. The doorcase frieze is carved with acanthus beneath an enriched cornice and segmental pediment enclosing a mask and foliage trails. Above this hangs a George IV hatchment.

The stained glass includes early 15th-century work, reset in the south aisle windows, depicting John the Baptist at the east end, the Nine Orders of Angels to the east, and the Tree of Jesse in the centre. Panels to the west show Noah building the Ark and St Margaret slaying the Dragon. Other glass, including in the north aisle east end, dates to circa 1821 and is by J Barnett.

Among the fittings is a clock mechanism in the south-west corner, inscribed "Reconstructed by G J F Newey 1896". Two painted Mayoral boards display the City of York arms and royal ciphers for George II and George III respectively.

Monuments include a white marble tablet on grey marble backing in the north aisle to William Harrison, died 1799, and others; a moulded stone monument to Elizabeth Bath, died 1730, also in the north aisle. The south aisle contains a white and grey marble tablet with Coppinger arms to Katherine Coppinger, died 1763; a white marble monument backed by grey veined marble obelisk to William Hutchinson, died 1772, signed by the Fishers; and a pedimented tablet with cartouche in coloured marble to John Wood, died 1704, and other family members.