Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a parish church, likely dating from the mid-13th century. It includes a late 17th-century bellcote and was restored in the late 19th century, with a complete rebuilding of the chancel at that time. The church is constructed of un-coursed limestone rubble, with regularly coursed and dressed rubble on the south and east walls of the chancel. It has plain tile roofs with ornamental cresting, with a hipped roof to the west end of the nave, and a weatherboarded belfry topped with a pyramidal slate cap.

The church consists of a nave, west belfry, chancel, south porch, and north vestry. The belfry is weatherboarded with overlapping boards to the bell stage, and has a square plan. The nave retains no original windows, all being late 19th-century replacements. The south side has two pairs of cinquefoil-headed lancets to the east of the porch and a single trefoil-headed lancet to the west. The gabled stone porch features an ogee-headed wooden arch and a plain pointed 19th-century doorway. An armorial shield is embedded in the wall to the right of the porch, bearing the date "(1)581" and the initials "IH" in raised lettering. The west window, with paired lancets and a roundel above, has a hoodmould with label stops and a gable piercing the eaves. The north wall contains two cusped lancets to the west. A vestry is situated at the northeast end and has paired cusped lancets in its west wall. The chancel has two cusped lancets in the south wall and a large east window of three stepped, broad, cusped lancets.

The interior's most significant feature is a heavily restored, probably 17th-century, arch-braced collar beam roof. This consists of alternating arch-braces and slightly cambered moulded tie beams supporting collars, all with vertical struts. The roof spans six bays of the nave and two bays of the chancel, the latter being largely rebuilt in the 19th century. Double purlins and two tiers of quatrefoil-shaped windbraces are also present. A heavier tie beam, with braces beneath pierced by 19th-century cusped tracery, divides the nave and chancel, creating the impression of a rood screen. The majority of fittings and furnishings, including benches, pulpit, and an octagonal font, are from the mid-to-late 19th century; a partly Jacobean communion table has a fluted underside. Stained glass includes windows dating from around 1859, and a significant memorial east window in the Walter Crane style, likely by Powell’s, created in memory of the Revd. John Rogers (died 1878). Other chancel windows date from 1893 and 1895. An Arts and Crafts style reredos, also by Powell's, commemorates George Frank Van Zõelen Rogers (died 1901) and incorporates mosaic, marble, copper, and mother of pearl, depicting St. Michael and St. George. Memorials to Charlotte Victoria (died 1911), wife of the Revd. John Rogers, and to his fourth son, Arthur de Norbury (died 1862, aged one day), are also present. A contemporary black and white marble floor extends throughout the chancel, including the sanctuary.