Church of St Michael

Church of St Michael

This is a parish church dating from the early 12th century, extended in the late 12th to early 13th centuries with some 14th and 15th century alterations. It was restored several times in the mid to late 19th century. The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a shingle spire and tile roofs.

The church comprises an early 12th century nave, a restored north aisle, a short 15th century south aisle, an early 13th century chancel, a late 12th century St Catherine's Chapel to the north, an early 13th century vestry, and a late 12th century tower positioned in the south-east angle between the chancel and nave.

Tower

The tower dates from the late 12th century and is of four stages defined by string courses. It features clasping buttresses, a parapet with trefoiled arcading and corbel table below. On the south side, the belfry stage has three lancets with engaged shafts to responds. The second stage is blind, whilst the first stage contains two lancets with engaged shafts to responds. At ground floor level, the entrance has a two-centred head with engaged respond shafts. On the east side is a projecting altar recess with two restored lancets.

Nave and Aisles

The south wall features a two-bay south aisle added in the 15th century, with stepped buttresses and crenellated parapet. The aisle windows each have four cinquefoiled lights under four-centred heads. The nave itself, to the left, spans two bays and has a small 12th century semicircular-headed window. A late 19th century stone porch encloses the 12th century south door, which has a semicircular head of two orders with roll mouldings and an enriched label. The respond shafts bear waterleaf capitals. The west end was rebuilt in the 19th century and features a window of three ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head, above a west door with a two-centred head of two chamfered orders.

The north aisle was rebuilt in the 19th century and comprises four bays. The leftmost bay is filled by the vestry, while the other three each have a square-headed window of three trefoiled lights.

Chancel

The north wall of the chancel spans three bays. The two left bays include a late 12th century chapel to the right, which contains two windows: a 12th century semicircular-headed window and a 14th century window of two ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head. The next bay contains a blind early 13th century vestry. The right-hand bay features a 13th century lancet. On the south wall, the tower stands to the left, with a 14th century window of two ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head to the right. The east window contains five ogee trefoiled lights with reticulated tracery and a two-centred head.

Interior

The nave arcade dates from the 12th century and comprises five bays with semicircular arches of two orders on circular columns. The south arcade has two bays with early 13th century clustered columns supporting two-centred arches of two moulded orders. The chancel arch is 14th century, of two chamfered orders to a two-centred head, with engaged respond shafts.

The south aisle features a tower arch of two-centred profile with three orders. The chapel arch to St Catherine's Chapel is 14th century, a segmental pointed arch of two chamfered orders, as is a similar arch to the south. The south aisle contains three-seat sedilia and a trefoil-headed piscina.

The vestry has a stone vault with chamfered diagonal ribs springing from angle corbels. The tower's altar recess is covered by a pointed stone barrel vault.

Roofs

The nave is covered by a timber barrel vault of five bays. The north aisle has a 19th century lean-to roof. The chancel has a 19th century common-rafter roof, whilst the south aisle retains a 15th century lean-to roof.

Fittings

Notable furnishings include a 15th century octagonal font with an angel in low relief on each side, and a 13th century effigy of a recumbent priest set into the wall of the south aisle.