Church Of St Michael

The Church of St Michael is a parish church located in Eaton Hastings, primarily dating from the 13th century but restored in 1870, 1872, and 1895. It is constructed from rubble stone and features a gabled stone-tiled roof. The church has a three-bay nave and a three-bay chancel, along with a south porch and a west bellcote.

The south wall of the nave contains two- and three-light Early English lancet windows, while there is a blocked Norman doorway and one Early English lancet on the north wall. The west window consists of three stepped trefoiled lancets with quatrefoils above. The chancel has single lancet windows on the north and south walls, and the east window features three stepped pointed-trefoiled lights. The 19th-century porch has a gabled stone-tiled roof and includes a 13th-century south doorway with a rounded-trefoiled head, along with a 19th-century gabled bellcote.

The south aisle has been removed, resulting in an aisleless interior that retains the remains of an Early English arcade on the south wall of the nave, characterized by its plain design. There is also an Early English cusped tomb recess on the south wall. The Norman and Early English windows on the north wall have deep splays. The chancel arch is Transitional, featuring abaci of saltire crosses and a pointed arch with a slight chamfer. Within the chancel, there are Early English sedilia, which is a recess with two half shafts on heads and stiff leaf capitals, as well as a trefoil-headed piscina.

The church has an open rafter roof throughout, supported by tie beams, queen posts, and a tier of wind braces. Notable stained glass includes a fine set by Morris & Co: on the north side of the nave, St Matthew with an Angel by Edward Burne-Jones from 1874; on the north side of the chancel, Christ walking on the water, also by Burne-Jones from 1877; and the west window from 1935 featuring St Raphael after a design by William Morris, St Michael after a design by Ford Madox Brown, and St Gabriel after another design by Morris. The east window, by Clayton and Bell, depicts scenes from the gospels.

Inside, there is a polygonal Jacobean pulpit adorned with strapwork and arcading, and a Jacobean font featuring an octagonal stone base with an octagonal bowl and a contemporary wooden cover with a crucifix supported by four brackets.