Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a parish church with origins dating back to the 13th century, featuring a late 14th century west tower. The tower was rebuilt in 1893 by C H Loht of London, while the nave and chancel underwent significant alterations. The church is constructed from carstone, with some sandstone and ashlar dressings, and has a plain tiled roof.

The tower has three stages but appears to have only two stages externally. It includes diagonal buttresses on the second stage, which have carved shields within quatrefoils on their plinths. The west window is a two-light, four-centred design with Perpendicular tracery, and there is relief carving above depicting the Crucifixion from the medieval period. A string course runs below the two-light segmental pointed belfry windows, and the tower is topped with a restored crenellated parapet. A polygonal stair tower was added to the southwest in 1896.

On the south side, there is one buttress to the nave and chancel, an arched south door, and five 19th century windows, which include paired lancet, single lancet, a two-light square-headed window, and two two-light Perpendicular windows in the chancel. The east window is a three-light design from the 15th century, featuring supermullions and stepped transoms. The north side mirrors the fenestration of the south side, with a blocked door to the chancel and a diagonal buttress at the west end.

Inside, there is a tall double chamfered tower arch and a late 14th century octagonal font, decorated with shields within quatrefoils. The roof features moulded arched braces that alternate in dropping to corbels at the wall plate or to wall posts with capitals and bases. Moulded collars support braces to the principals and ridge piece, with ashlaring, wind-bracing, and two tiers of moulded butt purlins. The main arched brace at the original division of the nave and chancel is trefoiled on each side. In the chancel, there is a medieval tomb slab with a foliated Latin cross, and to the right and left of each window are ogeed cusped and sub-cusped niches within square surrounds from the late 14th century. The church also retains substantial remains of paint, including painted lierne vaults.