Church Of St Michael

SO 71 NE CHURCHAM BULLEY

11/10 Church of St. Michael

23.9.55

GV I

Parish Church; C12, C15, 1886 restoration by S. Gambier-Parry. Flattish random rubble with larger, squared quoins in nave, ashlar quoins and strings to chancel, timber-framed porch: tiled roof, shingled spire and bellcote. Nave, chancel, vestry, south porch, bellcote and spire over west-end of nave. South facade: low, plain plinth; main door left of centre, covered by 1886 porch. Flat- headed boarded door with cover strips: above, plain, semi-circular tympanum with moulding to outer edge. Nook shaft each side, with different capitals, one with a volute: chevron moulding to arch above. Beyond double chevron moulding all round. Voussoirs to both arches alternating red and white stone, probably originally same to jambs of doorway. Gabled porch on stone plinth with open, pointed arch on entry, 3-light windows in side walls; timber bench each side internally and open, rafter roof. On left of porch a small, C12 lancet, head carved from single stone. On right 2-light Perpendicular window, no hoodmould. Alternate ridge tiles crested. Left gable has copings for bottom half, then becomes hip for short section, followed by tiled, set back gable. Above square bellcote, with sloping sides, each with 2-light louvred opening: above broach spire with weathervane. Chancel, semi-octagonal east end. Plain plinth, moulded string at window-sill level, plain at springing level and window arches, continuing round them as hoodmould. Above plain, projecting eaves with hipped roof above, terminating in an iron cross. On south side 2 round-headed windows with splay to arris, in 3 eastern faces a single round-headed window, with a roll-moulding. Below, on eastern wall, a cross in a circle. Internally, nave and chancel plastered, stone margins to window reveals. Chancel arch has 2 recessed orders, columns with scalloped capitals, plain abacus extended on string across east wall of nave. Chevron moulding to both arches over, all in alternate red and white stone. Open C19 waggon rafter roof, with 2 trusses to carry bellcote. Traces of chevron painting on surrounds to two C12 north windows. Semi-octagonal east-end to chancel, wide arch to vestry, plain roll moulding to arch. String course at window-sill level, corner shafts with roll moulding to inner frame of eastern windows, plain splay to southern. Piscina to north, sedilia to south. Last, windows and vestry arch all alternate red and white stone. Boarded, pointed barrel vault ceiling. C12 font, plain bowl with roll moulding to upper and lower edges, on a plain circular shaft. Semi-octagonal panelled Jacobean pulpit, on C19 stone base. One 1763 wall monument. 1886 restoration renewed roof, bellcote, and spire, rebuilt porch and chancel and built vestry. (D. Verey: Gloucestershire, The Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1970; old photographs in church, painting in Churcham County Primary School).

Listing NGR: SO7617119756