Church Of St Michael

Church of St Michael

Parish church dating from the 12th to 15th centuries, with the tower and spire rebuilt in 1787, the north aisle rebuilt in 1856, and the spire rebuilt again in 1912. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble and ashlar with ashlar dressings, and slate roofs.

The church comprises a west tower with spire, nave with aisles, chancel, north vestry and south porch. The three-stage tower has a moulded plinth and diagonal buttresses with set-offs, plus a chamfered band below the bell stage. Above sits a stone octagonal broached spire with two sets of alternating lacarnes and four crocketed pinnacles at the corners. The west face has a small chamfered lancet, and above this a 19th-century metal clock face with a small plaque above inscribed "W:K. 1787". The north and south faces are blank. At the bell stage, each face has a single round-headed bell opening in a chamfered surround.

The 19th-century north aisle has a chamfered plinth and a single two-light triangular-headed window in the west wall. To the north are three buttresses with set-offs, with four single-light ogee-headed lancets between them. To the east is a small 19th-century lean-to vestry with two ogee-headed lancets in flat-headed surrounds, beyond which is a 20th-century boilerhouse.

The chancel has a deeply chamfered plinth, gabled angle buttresses, and coped gables with kneelers and cross finials. To the east is a large four-light window in flowing tracery in a pointed chamfered surround with hood. The south wall has an off-centre priests' doorway in a chamfered pointed surround with hood and plank door. To the left is a two-light reticulated tracery window, and to the right a three-light flowing tracery window, both in chamfered pointed surrounds.

Above the nave is a four-bay clerestory with, on each side, four pairs of single round-headed cusped lancets within a shallow pointed and chamfered arch, each with a Tudor hood. The clerestory is topped by a chamfered parapet pierced on each side by three gargoyles.

The south aisle has gabled angle buttresses with set-offs. To the east is a four-light panel tracery window in a deeply chamfered and moulded segment-headed surround. The south wall has similar two-light and three-light panel tracery windows to the east, plus another similar two-light window to the west beyond the porch, and another similar four-light window further west.

The south porch has a coped gable with gabled kneelers and a cross finial, plus stone benches inside. The outer opening has a double pointed arch with a moulded and chamfered outer arch and an inner-moulded arch with single respond with moulded capitals and bases. The inner doorway has a cavetto-moulded, chamfered and pointed arch, with a fine early 18th-century raised and fielded panel door. Within the porch are two wall monuments to Anne Jessop (1807) and William Petchel (1861).

Interior

The interior has four-bay nave arcades with double-chamfered pointed arches. The north arcade has octagonal piers and responds with moulded capitals and bases. The south arcade has keeled quatrefoil piers and responds with moulded capitals and bases. The tower arch is double-chamfered and pointed with single shaft responds with moulded capitals and bases. Above are two 18th-century commandment boards with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. Above again, the earlier nave roof line is visible.

The nave contains a very fine 16th-century wooden roof with wooden carved bosses. The chancel arch is double-chamfered and pointed with octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases.

The chancel has a Minton tile floor, a small ogee-headed piscina, and a 19th-century wood and brass altar rail. The stone octagonal font with octagonal bowl and stem dates to the 14th century and has two-light panel tracery to each face. The fittings include 20th-century wooden pews, 19th-century wooden choir stalls, pulpit and organ, and a stained glass east window of 1888.

Two monuments stand in the chancel: that to Mary Hewitt (1746) with columns supporting an open segmental pediment containing a shield, and that to Robert Hewitt (1760) in a lugged surround with side scroll brackets, surmounted by a skull and cross bones.

The south aisle dates to the 17th century and the north aisle to the 19th century. The south aisle also contains a small ogee-headed piscina.