Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a church dating back to the 13th century, significantly restored in 1867-8 by W Gillett and again in 1948-50. It is constructed of coursed squared ironstone with limestone dressings, featuring lead roofs on the nave, aisle, and porch, and a slate roof on the chancel.

The building comprises a chancel, nave, south aisle, south porch, and a west tower. The chancel has an east window with a triple stepped dripstone and nailhead decoration to the hood mould, alongside a three-light chamfered stone mullion window with a wave-moulded stone surround to its south side. The three-bay nave incorporates windows to the north, displaying nailhead ornament to their hood moulds, alongside a blocked north door with shafts, imposts, a round-arched head, and a hood mould. A clerestory on the south side of the nave is characterised by two-light chamfered stone mullion windows set within rectangular, chamfered surrounds. The south aisle features lancet windows with cusped heads and nailhead detailing to the hood moulds. A 19th-century south door, complete with ornamental hinges, is set within a renewed doorway exhibiting a chamfer and a round-arched head. The largely rebuilt 19th-century porch features a sunk quadrant moulding to the basket-arched head of its doorway. The three-stage west tower has a lancet window to its bottom stage, mirroring those of the aisle, and a twin bellcote topped with a ridged stone saddleback roof. The exterior also displays 19th-century moulded stone eaves, stone-coped gables with kneelers, and a prominent square limestone stack above the north door with an octagonal stone flue. Notably, all lancet windows have been renewed.

Inside, the nave features a three-bay south arcade with circular piers, semi-circular responds, moulded capitals, polygonal abaci, and double-chamfered pointed arches. Piers are complemented by stone seats to their moulded bases. The southeast pier displays interlace ornament to its capital on the south side and upright leaves on the nave side. Decorative painted elements remain on the arches: red fleur de lys on the inner surface of the southeast arch, four-petalled flowers on the middle arch, separate flowering plants on the southwest arch, chevron ornament on the inner chamfer, discs on the outer chamfer, and leaf trails between the chamfers. The double-chamfered tower arch incorporates polygonal responds and moulded capitals, the one on the left bearing a curved head and leaves. Surviving features include bench ends dating from around 1500, two charity boards (one from the 18th century and the other from the early 19th century), and several monuments. These include a limestone wall monument to Robert Wartnaby, who died in 1727, a slate wall monument to Rev. William Cant and his family (died 1768), and a pointed arched brass wall monument dedicated to Rosamund Greaves Bingham of Wartnaby Hall (died 1863 in Paris, aged 29), depicting an angel holding a scroll.