Church Of St. Michael

SWANTON ABBOTT TG 22 NE 4/25 Church of St.Michael 16:4:55

• II*

Parish church. Medieval and later. Flint with stone dressings, slate roof. West tower, nave with south porch, chancel. Embattled C14 west tower of 2 stages with diagonal buttresses; C19 2-light Decorated west window; cusped openings to ringing chamber; Perpendicular and Decorated openings of 2 lights to bell-openings; gargoyles. Square external stair turret with cruciform and cusped lights to south-east corner. 4 bay buttressed nave with diagonal buttresses to corners; 2 3-light Perpendicular windows with panel tracery and 1 3-light Decorated window to both north and south sides; rood stair with quatrefoil light to north-east nave bay; gargoyles; parapet. Buttressed chancel of 2 bays with diagonal buttresses at the angles; 2 3-light Perpendicular windows, hood moulds with figure-stops, alternate brick and flint voussoirs. C15 unbuttressed south porch to first nave bay with some chequerwork to base, doorway with castellated abaci, niche over doorway with tracery and shields in the spandrels under square hood mould; arch-braced roof. North and south doorways to nave having plain jambs merging into voussoirs with hollows and rolls, hood moulds over. Medieval south door with iron door ring. Interior. Narrow tower arch with polygonal shafts. 2 corbels with angels at west end. Arch-braced roof mostly of 1953. Chancel arch with polygonal shafts. Ogee-arched cusped piscina. Rood screen heavily restored 1906-13; figure painting of C15 now facing chancel. Pulpit with some medieval carving. Fragments of early coloured glass. Font probably C15, bowl with quatrefoil motif.

Listing NGR: TG2658926253