Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a parish church located in Eastwell, dating from the 13th century with alterations made in the 14th century. It is constructed of ironstone with limestone dressings, featuring lead roofs over the nave and aisles, and pantiles on the chancel and south porch, the latter being a modern concrete addition.

The church has a three-stage west tower, which appears as four stages externally, divided by string-coursed set-offs. Below the tower is a lancet west window situated beneath a niche. The belfry has two-light restored early Decorated windows, and the limestone crenellated parapet adds to its character. The north aisle features cusped three-light late 14th-century windows under straight heads, with two flanking windows and one each at the east and west ends. The south aisle contains a wide lancet window to the east of the gabled porch and a two-light Decorated east window. The clerestory has three two-light windows of the same style as those in the north aisle. The chancel has two two-light arched south windows, one with a reticulated design and the other with an internal ogee, along with a three-light reticulated east window. There are no windows on the north side of the chancel.

Inside, the church features a three-bay arcade supported by circular piers on the south side and quatrefoil piers on the north. The circular piers have waterholding bases, moulded capitals with nailhead decoration, and double chamfered arches, while the quatrefoil piers have moulded bases and polygonal capitals with double chamfered arches as well. The nave roof consists of ties supported by arched braces and wall posts that drop to corbels, with spurs rising to a moulded ridge piece and two moulded purlins.

A stone 14th-century chancel screen extends up to the roof with plastered walling, featuring an arched central doorway and a three-light ogeed window on each side under straight heads. The rustic 16th-century chancel roof has ties supporting Queen posts that rise to collars, with three tiers of butt purlins and curved windbracing. An arch in the chancel wall contains a stone effigy of a priest from around 1325. Additionally, the south-west nave pier respond features a brass inscription panel in memory of Elizabeth Healey, dated 1680.