Church Of St Michael And All Angels

The Church of St Michael and All Angels is an Anglican parish church located in Flax Bourton. It dates back to the 12th century, with alterations made in the 13th century and further modifications from the late 14th to 15th centuries. The church underwent restoration in the mid-19th century by John Norton.

The structure includes a west tower, nave, north aisle, south porch, and chancel, built from coursed rubble with freestone dressings and topped with a slate roof. The west tower features three stages, diagonal buttresses, an embattled parapet, and gargoyles. It has a two-light bell chamber opening with a trefoil head, a three-light west window, and a west door framed by a moulded surround. A polygonal stair tower projects from the northeast, and a clock dated 1897 is located on the south face.

The nave contains two three-light windows in the Perpendicular style, each with cinquefoil heads and square hoodmoulds. The gabled south porch has a double chamfered doorcase. In the chancel, there are two-light windows with cusped heads and square hoodmoulds, while the east window is a three-light design under a four-centred arch, with carved head stops on the hoodmould. The north aisle, rebuilt by Norton, features four two-light windows with cusped heads and square hoodmoulds.

The south doorway, dating from the 12th century, is adorned with spiral fluted columns—one with a scalloped capital and the other with a capital featuring coarsely cut upright volutes. The round arch above has zigzag decoration, with the outer order chamfered and embellished with an ornamental scroll moulding. Above the doorway is a relief depicting St Michael and the Dragon.

Inside, the nave has a three-bay north arcade from the 19th century, supported by clustered columns with round caps. The chancel arch from the 12th century consists of two orders, with scalloped capitals to the north and leaves, volutes, and animal heads to the south, along with zigzag moulding and animal heads on the abaci. The tower arch is in the Perpendicular style. The font, also from the 12th century, features a scalloped square bowl on a cylindrical base, while the pulpit, made of oak in a plain Perpendicular style, dates from the 19th century.