Church Of St Michael

Church of St Michael, Gittisham

A parish church with possibly 14th-century origins, substantially developed and altered over subsequent centuries. The south aisle was added by Sir Humphrey Beaumont (died 1572), and the Beaumont family carried out repairs in the 1660s. The church underwent 18th-century refurbishment, including the installation of box pews and a west gallery. The chancel was restored in the 1860s under the direction of Reverend R. Kirwan. The building is unusual within the Diocese in retaining a nave with fittings that predate the Gothic Revival, giving the exterior a somewhat informal, unrestored appearance.

The church is constructed of flint rubble, with the tower rendered, and has slate roofs. The plan comprises a nave, chancel, a four-bay south arcade with one bay extending into the chancel, a north porch, a west tower, and a west gallery accessed by an external stair at the west end of the south aisle. The east end of the aisle projects beyond the chancel and is filled with monuments of the squires of Combe.

The chancel features diagonal buttresses with set-offs and a three-light 19th-century Perpendicular-traceried east window. On the north side is a double-chamfered frame to the priest's door with a 19th-century rounded arch and a heavily renewed two-light pointed window with uncusped Y tracery. The buttressed nave has diagonal corner buttresses, and untraceried windows (with mullions presumably of 18th-century date) with varying arches flanking the north porch. The south aisle has diagonal buttresses and two massive buttresses with set-offs to the west, together with a lean-to boiler room with a stack against the aisle wall. A 17th-century decorated lead gutter and rainwater head at the east end displays the Beaumont arms and probably dates from the late 17th-century repairs to the aisle; the baluster pinnacle on the gable is likely contemporary. A wide Perpendicular west window of very late character is present. The aisle windows include an easternmost three-light traceried window (blocked with hardboard at the time of survey in 1987), followed by two two-light 19th-century Perpendicular-traceried windows, with the westernmost window being untraceried. The west end of the aisle features a flight of external steps with 18th-century iron railings leading to a gallery entrance formed by a two-leaf 18th-century panelled door below a two-light untraceried, presumably 18th-century window.

The rendered three-stage battlemented west tower has a large two-stage projecting stair turret on the south side with a flat roof. The original entrance to the turret has been cut off by the gallery steps, and a flight of external steps now leads through an archway cut in the tower masonry into the bellringers' chamber. The west door of the tower has a moulded frame and a rather domestic Gothick door of the early 19th century, half-glazed with arched glazing bars. A three-light untraceried west window and two-light louvred belfry openings on the west, east and north faces are present. The north face displays a clock with a semi-circular hoodmould.

The north porch has a moulded outer doorway with a hoodmould and a deeply moulded, possibly 14th-century inner doorway. Stone-topped benches and a plastered roof are features, and a row of probably 18th-century hat pegs survives.

Interior: The walls are plastered, with a moulded stone chancel arch and a double-chamfered tower arch. Ceiled wagon roofs with carved bosses and moulded ribs span the nave; the chancel has a 19th-century ceiled wagon roof with painted ribs and bosses and a 19th-century ceilure. The four-bay arcade features corner shafts to the piers, foliage-carved capitals and shallow moulded arches. The chancel bay is deeper with a panelled soffit to the north arch. A 19th or early 20th-century timber drum pulpit with blind traceried panels and heavily carved cornice is present. A 15th-century octagonal font with quatrefoils carved on the bowl survives. A distinct contrast exists between the archaeologically correct chancel and the unrestored nave. The chancel displays good 19th-century floor tiles and a communion rail with painted standards decorated with leaves. Circa 1860s poppyhead choir stalls are present, with a slightly different design in the south chancel chapel, which has probably 18th-century black and white paving. The nave is filled with probably late 18th-century box pews with fielded panels. The west gallery is supported on an iron post and features fielded panels to left and right.

Monuments: An important collection is present. The most impressive is in the south chancel aisle, commemorating Thomas Putt (died 1686), the squire who carried out extensive improvements at Combe. Executed in black, grey and white marble, it comprises a large tomb chest with marble steps, set in a round-headed recess with a ribbed soffit and a rusticated arch. The back of the arch has a white marble pediment on massive consoles with armorial bearings. On the tomb chest are two massive white marble urns decorated with wreaths and bands of oak leaves with gilded flames. The monument has been attributed to William Kidwell and William Stanton, with the urns possibly by Edward Pearce. Against the east wall is a monument to Henry Beaumont of Combe (died 1591), erected by his wife, in alabaster, Purbeck and black marble with composite columns dividing the main tier into two recesses where Beaumont and his wife kneel at prayer desks, with armorial bearings above and a lengthy verse with armorial bearings below. On the south wall is a late 17th-century wall tablet in a moulded frame commemorating John Fiennes Esq. (died 1671), with a Latin verse. Adjacent is a white marble wall tablet signed "Westminster Marble Company, Earl St, South West London", commemorating members of the Putt family with dates ranging from 1825 to 1857. Next west is a Greek Revival style white marble wall monument to Reymundo Putt (died 1812). In the chancel, a wall monument to Joane Beaumont (died 1667) has an inscription tablet surrounded by mantling and framed by Corinthian columns, with a skeleton, angel and armorial bearings above; the inscription includes verse and original colour survives. On the north wall is a monument to Reverend Thomas Putt (died 1844) in a crested stone frame. The south wall of the aisle contains late 19th-century and one late 18th-century monument. Below the gallery, fixed to the west wall, is an unusual painted board commemorating John Ousley (died 1744), depicting David harping flanked by cherubs. Royal Arms hang over the door in a nowy-headed frame. Five massive Putt family hatchments, dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, hang in the south aisle.

Stained glass: The east window was probably designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, with a memorial date of 1854. The north window in the chancel contains 16th and 17th-century Flemish fragments and roundels with early 19th-century coloured glass and late 19th-century borders. The east window of the aisle contains 17th and 20th-century armorial bearings. The south aisle has two 19th-century windows (1870s, with memorial dates) commemorating members of the Marker family.

An exceptionally interesting church retaining a largely 18th-century character in the nave and displaying a number of fine monuments.