Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a Grade I listed building located in Church Square, Basingstoke. Its origins date back to the 14th century, with significant late-medieval alterations and a rebuild in 1920. The church features a relatively small east end, which includes a chancel rebuilt in 1464 that boasts a fine exposed timber roof, a south chapel and vestry from the 14th century, and a larger north chapel dedicated as a War Memorial, added in 1920.

The nave and aisles, constructed in 1520, are more expansive and consist of five bays that enclose the tower at the west end. A two-storeyed south porch was added in 1539. The east end is characterized by a steeply pitched red tile roof, flint walls with stone dressings, and a chequer-board pattern on the north chapel. The main structure is built of stone ashlar, with the nave featuring a flat lead roof behind a crenellated parapet. The windows include three lights in the clerestory and four lights in the aisles, complemented by cill bands, a high moulded plinth, and plain parapets on the aisles.

The tower consists of four stages, topped with a crenellated parapet and octagonal corner buttresses that are capped by pinnacles added in 1879. It also features a large west window. Inside the church, there are three hatchments displaying the Royal Coat of Arms of Elizabeth I, James I, and William III, along with a font from 1885 and some windows at the east end containing small areas of 16th-century glass from the Holy Ghost Chapel.