Parish Church Of St Michael

The parish church of St Michael is a building of significant historical interest, originating in the mid-13th century. A south doorway from the mid-13th century was later repositioned within the building. The chancel dates from the late 13th century, while the tower was erected in the early 14th century, followed by a late 14th-century belfry, a 15th-century parapet, and a spire. The chancel arch and nave were rebuilt around 1400, with the north and south aisles and south porch added in the late 15th century. A restoration occurred around 1870, leading to the rebuilding of the south porch and the restoration of the chancel. Further work to the tower and chancel arch occurred in 1925.

The church is constructed of limestone and field stone rubble, with ashlar facing and dressings from Ketton and Barnack. The roofs are covered in slate and lead. The south elevation is dominated by a four-stage tower featuring a moulded plinth, an embattled parapet with grotesque faces and carved gargoyles, and a frieze of quatrefoil panels. The octagonal spire is topped by belfry windows incorporating two transomed lights with quatrefoils and spire lights with trefoiled lights and gabled heads. Clerestory windows have cinquefoiled lights in four-centred heads, with pierced spandrels. The nave and aisle have a moulded parapet, also adorned with gargoyles. The south aisle is notable for its western window, a mid-14th century example with trefoiled ogee lights and reticulated tracery. The south doorway, also from the mid-13th century, has a two-centred head with shafted jambs and moulded capitals. The rebuilt south porch incorporates original materials and has a two-centred archway of chamfered orders. The chancel includes two original lancet windows and one with reticulated tracery.

Internally, the nave arcade, constructed around 1400, consists of four bays with two-centred arches of chamfered orders, circular piers, and semi-circular responds. The tower arch is two-centred and also of two chamfered orders, featuring semi-octagonal responds and moulded capitals. The north and south walls feature arcades with two-centred arches of a single, stop-chamfered order. A 13th-century window incorporates a doorway. The nave roof, dating to around 1500, boasts moulded and cambered tie beams with curved and cusped braces, low king posts, and moulded ridge and purlins. The pent roof over the south aisle has braced tie beams, with some reused timbers dating to the 15th and 17th centuries, one inscribed with the churchwarden's name "John Lamb" and the date "1629”. A piscina in the chancel has a trefoiled head and moulded jambs (late 13th century), while those in the north and south aisles are from the 14th century, with two-centred and trefoiled-ogee heads, respectively. The early 17th-century communion rails have three rails and two rows of balusters. A small, octagonal wooden panel displays the “Sator Square” inscription with initials "ER" and the date "1614”. Further details regarding monuments and floor slabs are documented in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (RCHM) records.