Church of St. Michael

Church of St. Michael

A church comprising a 14th-century chancel and 15th-century tower, with the nave and aisles rebuilt and the chancel partly rebuilt in the 19th century. The building is constructed of squared coursed lias banded with some sandstone for the chancel and nave, while the tower is built of sandstone ashlar. The roofs are plain tile and lead. The plan consists of a chancel, aisled nave, and west tower.

The chancel has two bays with a chamfered plinth, offset diagonal buttresses, and a coped gable to the east with a cross at the apex. The restored 14th-century east window contains three cusped lights with geometric tracery within a double chamfered surround, and a restoration datestone of 1809 is positioned above. A pointed-arched doorway with a 19th-century plank door opens to the south, with a two-cusped-light window to its right and a 15th-century square-headed two-light window to its left. A 19th-century gabled vestry sits to the north, featuring an early 14th-century style two-light window to the east and a square-headed two-cusped-light window to the north.

The nave extends for four bays with a chamfered plinth, offset buttresses, and a hollow-chamfered eaves cornice to the aisles. A coped gable rises to the east. The north aisle contains three 14th-style windows of two cusped lights with quatrefoil tracery and hood mould, while the south aisle has four such windows. A further two-light window appears on the east aisle wall, with single cusped lights on the east walls of both aisles. A 19th-century sandstone gabled porch with a round pointed-arched doorway with moulded surround stands on the south side. Within, a pointed-arched doorway with double hollow-chamfered moulding contains a 19th-century plank door, flanked by stone benches to east and west. A 19th-century clerestory with four cusped round lights runs along both north and south sides.

The early 15th-century west tower rises in three stages with a chamfered plinth, offset buttresses, chamfered storey bands, and a hollow moulded eaves cornice decorated with carved heads. A parapetted eaves cornice displays heraldic arms carved on the merlons and pinnacles at each corner. A restored west window contains two cusped lights with mouchette tracery in a hollow-moulded surround. Loop-lights pierce the south wall. Bell chamber openings consist of two cusped lights with transom within four-centred heads.

Interior features include 19th-century rere-arches to the chancel windows. A vestry archway of two pointed orders is supported by polygonal moulded corbels on its inner order. Decorative tile floors are laid throughout. A 15th-century chancel arch of two chamfered orders has polygonal moulded capitals supporting the inner order. The nave aisle and clerestory windows feature chamfered rere-arches. A 19th-century nave arcade of four bays comprises hexagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals supporting double-chamfered arches, with decorative tile and stone flag floors. A small 14th-century piscina has been re-used in the south aisle wall with an ogee-headed surround and mouchette-tracery panel. The tower arch displays two chamfered orders to the east and three to the west. The chancel roof is a 19th-century hammer-beam design, while the nave roof is a 19th-century arch-braced collar-truss roof.

Furnishings include 19th-century pews, choir stalls, and a polygonal wood pulpit. A 19th-century polygonal font stands on an original moulded base. In the south wall of the chancel is a marble wall-tablet with scrolled surround and broken pediment topped with carved arms. The inscription commemorates "the pious memory of that vertuous and religius Gentlewoman Mrs ELLEN PILKINGTON (eldest daughter of Mr. RICHARD OUINEY Citizen and Grocer of London). Married to EDWARD PILKINGTON formerly of Stockton". She died in 1689, aged 71.