Church of St Michael and All Angels

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 18 June 2025 to correct a typo in the description and to reformat the text to current standards

SJ8900 895-1/9/110

TETTENHALL CHURCH ROAD (North side) Church of St Michael and All Angels

29-JUL-50 II

Church. C15 west tower; south porch, 1882-1883, by G.E. Street; nave, chancel and vestry rebuilt after fire of 1950 in 1952-1955, to the designs of Bernard Miller. Ashlar with tile roofs. Two-bay Lady Chapel with north vestry; three-bay nave has lean-to aisles with cross gables, south porch and west tower. Decorated Gothic style, Miller's work parts a free interpretation of the Gothic style. Projecting Lady Chapel has coped parapet and gable with cross; round windows and four-light east window; small projection with entrance to south. Six-window vestry range to north has two-light straight-headed windows and north entrance with overlight and keystone. Aisles have three gabled windows of three lights with flanking blind lights between gabled buttresses; south porch has coped gable with cross and arch dying into jambs between diagonal buttresses, rib vault and inner entrance of two orders; clerestory has seven two-light segmental-headed windows. South-east bell turret and stack. Two-stage tower has moulded plinth and diagonal buttresses; three-light west window with renewed tracery, hood with beast stops; similar stops to top stage sill courses; two-light louvred bell openings; top cornice with gargoyles and embattled parapet; north and south quatrefoils below bell openings with cornices.

INTERIOR: nave arcades on squat piers with foliate capitals; deep-arch-braced oak roofs, those to aisles with inverted hip form. The altar was always placed centrally in the crossing, so that the Lady Chapel takes the place of the traditional Chancel, screened by a low wall to arch with pulpit to one side. This was replaced by an openwork oak screen in 1985. Hanging bell-form lights. Most furnishings also designed by Miller, whose emblem of a bee can be seen in the altar rails. Round font with mosaic decoration by G. Mayer-Marton hints at Miller's love of more theatrical motifs. East window by G Cooper-Abbs of Exeter.

Bernard Miller, long associated with the Liverpool School of Architecture, built many churches in the 1930s with surprisingly art deco flourishes. Tettenhall is very different. The design is strongly arts-and-crafts inspired, its broad, light form and reticulated Gothic reminiscent of E S Prior's St Andrew's, Roker (grade I) of 1906. This lavish 1950s' recreation may be compared with the slightly later work of George Pace, mainly working in Yorkshire and around Manchester, who also reinterpreted this style in a modern manner.

Listing NGR: SJ8913200292