Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a church dating from around 1150, with significant remodelling in the 13th century. It is constructed of regular coursed ironstone rubble with stone copings. The church comprises a chancel, nave, south aisle, and a south porch situated in an unusual angle between the south aisle and the chancel. The chancel’s 3-light traceried east window has a 4-centred head and hood mould, with some renewed stonework. A 2-light window with Y-tracery and hood mould sits to the south, along with a similar window to the north. Between these windows is a pointed arched doorway, leading to a room with a plank door. To the right is a square-headed window. The nave features a 2-light window with Y-tracery and a 3-light window with intersecting tracery. The north porch is gabled with a chamfered arch. The Romanesque north doorway has two orders of roll moulding, overlaid with bearhead decoration separated by zig-zag bands and decorated with beaded interlace in a figure of eight. The south doorway, also from the same period, features a single order of zig-zag, a plain tympanum, and a lintel with four rows of stairs. The plank door has elaborate wrought iron strap hinges. A 2-light window with Y-tracery is positioned to the right of the south doorway, accompanied by a single lancet window to the west. The south aisle’s gabled porch is flanked by a 2-light window with cusped ogee heads, and two windows with intersecting tracery. The south tower comprises three stages and a crenellated parapet. It has a 2-light square-headed stone mullioned window to the bell tower, alongside an Early English window to the ground floor. The original buttresses and moulded stone cornice to the chancel and nave are present, alongside a moulded cornice and plain parapet with a canopied niche and finials. Internally, the chancel arch is from the 13th century. The responds contain Norman work, including two shafts with scallop capitals and a band of palmetti decoration. A decorated piscina in the chancel features a projecting bowl. The south aisle has three unequal bays with round piers with moulded capitals and rectangular piers. All arches are double chamfered. An Early English piscina with two trefoiled arches is located in the south aisle. Fittings include a 15th-century chancel screen with Georgian doors, poppy head bench ends in the nave, and a lectern and prayer desk incorporating Jacobean panelling. The survival of the Romanesque north and south doorways is notable.