Church Of St Michael And All Angels

Church of St Michael and All Angels

This is a parish church at Bassingham on Newark Road, dating from the 11th century with significant additions in the 12th, 13th and 15th centuries. The building was substantially modified in 1782 when Thomas Bell rebuilt the tower, and underwent comprehensive restoration in 1860 under J H Hakewill.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel, and a north chantry chapel now used as a vestry. It is constructed of coursed rubble and ashlar with lead roofs and ashlar quoins.

The west tower, rebuilt in 1782, rises in three stages with a chamfered plinth, a plain first-stage band, a moulded second-stage band and a plain cill band. It is topped with a moulded band, battlements and four crocketed pinnacles. To the west is a deeply recessed pointed arched doorway, and to the south a small flat-headed doorway. Each side has a circular opening on the second stage and a single light pointed arched bell opening in Early English style.

The nave clerestory contains five bays and is topped with ornate battlements and crocketed pinnacles. The gable features a moulded coped parapet surmounted by a cross. The north aisle is topped with a moulded coped parapet and has a small 15th-century chamfered doorway with a triangular head. Along this aisle are a two-light 15th-century window with segment-headed lancets under a triangular head, a buttress, another similar window, a two-light flat-headed window, and another buttress. To the right is a two-light flat-headed window with panel tracery under a hood mould.

The vestry to the north has a two-light chamfered mullion window, and to the south a round-headed three-light window with flowing tracery under a hood mould with head label stops. The chancel, largely rebuilt in 1860, has a single pointed lancet to the north and a large five-light window with intersecting tracery under a hood mould with label stops to the east. The south wall of the chancel contains three tall pointed arched windows with Y tracery, all under hood moulds with label stops, plus a small pointed arched doorway.

The south aisle has a battlemented parapet with a pointed arched window featuring flowing tracery and a hood mould with label stops to the east. On the south side are two two-light flat-headed windows with panel tracery under hood moulds. The south porch has a plinth and side buttresses, a coped gable with kneelers topped with a cross, and a pointed arched opening with a double chamfered arch and single shafts. Stone benches line the porch interior, and the south doorway features a double chamfered pointed arch.

The interior contains a three-bay north arcade rebuilt in 1860 with round arches and two circular piers with scalloped capitals. Beyond to the east is a single tall 13th-century pointed double-chamfered arch with octagonal responds and moulded capitals. The two-bay 13th-century south arcade has a circular pier and responds with a ribbed leaf capital. Beyond to the east is an arch similar to that on the north arcade, with two more such arches in the north wall of the chancel. A small pointed tower arch dates from 1782. The unusual chancel arch with zig-zag decoration was rebuilt in 1860.

The church contains an octagonal 15th-century font with quatrefoils and the remains of a 15th-century screen in the lower arch. There are six 16th-century linen-fold panelling bench ends in the west of the nave; the remainder are 19th century. The 15th-century nave roof was restored in 1960; the remainder of the roofing is 19th century. Two late 18th-century commandment boards are located in the tower, and a single charity board is in the south aisle. The church also contains a 19th-century altar rail, organ and encaustic tiles, plus a 19th-century pulpit with a single panel dated 1674, and an alms box dated 1668. The east window contains stained glass by F X Zettler of Munich dating to around 1900.