Parish Church Of St Michael

Parish Church of St Michael

This is a parish church of 15th and 16th-century origin, substantially rebuilt in 1875 by the architect William White. The building is constructed of stone rubble, uncoursed externally, with dressings of limestone and red sandstone, roofed with red clay tiles and lead. The west tower and north porch are of red brick in English bond, with the north porch faced externally with uncoursed rubble.

The major 1875 restoration retained considerable original fabric and features, particularly in the north aisle and north porch, and the whole of the west tower except the parapet. The chancel, nave, north chapel, south chapel and south aisle were largely rebuilt at this time, though the north aisle dates from the 15th century and was restored in 1875.

The chancel retains a tomb recess and contains a stone effigy in mail with surcoat, dating from the 13th century, with remains of shield and sword. The legs are originally crossed but missing below the knee, and the feet rest on a lion couchant. The south wall of the chancel features an arch with a cinquefoiled and sub-cusped ogee head, the spandrels carved with foliage, a moulded label with thick band of naturalistic foliate crocketing, and diapered buttresses on each side carried up with crocketed square finials, mainly of the early 14th century with minor restoration.

The roof of the nave is partly 15th-century and was restored in 1875. It comprises 5 bays of single hammer-beam construction, boarded to form a barrel-vault but leaving exposed the chamfered arched braces of the original structure, with some renewal.

The north aisle appears to retain its 15th-century fabric, refaced externally and re-fenestrated in 1875 following the earlier pattern, significantly different from windows of the parts rebuilt in 1875. West of the north door is a small doorway with timber frame and chamfered jambs leading to a stair to the muniments room over the north porch, dating from around 1500. The door is plain boarded with re-used 13th-century hinges featuring an incised zigzag pattern, octofoiled scutcheon plate and twisted ring handle.

The 15th-century lean-to roof of the north aisle comprises 5 bays with moulded principal rafters, moulded rafters at half-bay intervals, and moulded butt-purlins, supported on moulded wall-pieces and carved brackets (some replaced in 1875). The common rafters are of horizontal section, some hollow-chamfered, some plain-chamfered with step stops. At the east end of the north aisle is a late 15th-century timber screen of 3 bays and double entrance bay. One bay is missing; the screen has been moved in 1826 and 1875. Each bay has a trefoiled ogee head with moulded mullions, head-beam and carved cresting. The coving below the cresting is carved in relief with 5 half-angels (faces destroyed) holding 3 shields respectively bearing a chalice and host, crossed keys and crossed swords, and a scroll with the inscription in black letter "This cost is the bachelers made by ales Jhesu be ther med".

The two-storey north porch dates from around 1500, constructed of brick with a splayed stair-turret in the south wall, refaced externally with uncoursed rubble and painted internally. The floor has a moulded axial beam and chamfered joists of horizontal section with plain stops. The low-pitched roof is of cranked plain joists of square section.

The west tower, dating from around 1500, is of three stages with a moulded plinth and splayed stair-turret in the south wall. The east and west walls and diagonal buttresses have an overall diaper pattern in blue flared headers; the north wall has a pattern mainly of chevrons and some diaper work, and the south wall features a single large saltire cross. The two-centred tower-arch has 5 chamfered orders on the east side and 4 chamfered orders on the west side, with plain plastered responds. The west window has a two-centred arch of brick. In the second stage are north and west brick windows of one four-centred light with a moulded label. The bell-chamber has in each wall a partly restored brick window of 2 round-headed lights with a quatrefoil in a four-centred head with a moulded label. The west doorway has splayed brick jambs and a two-centred arch of 3 moulded orders with a moulded label. The stair-turret is lit by one stone quatrefoil, another restored, and a cruciform brick loop. The floor of the second stage is original, of chamfered beams framed round a bellway, with plain joists of horizontal section.

The font has an octagonal bowl with plain shields in star-shaped panels on each face, and a panelled and cusped octagonal stem of the 15th century, on a moulded base with spur ornaments of the 12th century.

On the north wall of the chancel are tablets to Stephen Martin Leake and Fletcher Powell (1773), Stephen Martin Leake the son (1797), and Mary (Calvert) Leake (1821) and John Martin Leake (1836). In the north aisle are floor-slabs to Elizabeth (Leake) Wyatt (1731), and Sarah Rofe (1755) and William Rofe (1791). On the south wall of the tower is a slate tablet to Thomas Wharton (1669) and Elizabeth his wife, with an alabaster achievement of arms. The church contains 5 bells: the third by Warner and Bentfield (1819), the fourth by Thomas Mears (1843), and the fifth by Charles Newman (1688).