Tower Of The Former Church Of St Michael

GLOUCESTER

SO8318NW EASTGATE STREET 844-1/8/126 (South side) 23/01/52 Tower of the former Church of St Michael (Formerly Listed as: SOUTHGATE STREET (East side) Church of St Michael)

II*

Includes: Tower of the former Church of St Michael SOUTHGATE STREET. Tower of the former parish church of St Michael, now used as a tourist information centre. Built between 1455 & 1472 at west end of medieval church of St Michael. Except for tower the church demolished 1849, rebuilt 1851 and demolished 1955-6, minor alterations to tower for use as office 1980. Ashlar, lead roof. PLAN: a large, square belfry tower, the former entrance doorway in the west side facing Southgate Street, the office on the ground floor now entered through C20 glazed screen infilling the archway between the tower and the former nave. EXTERIOR: three principal stages; the corners with massive offset clasping buttresses of plain ashlar capped by courses of weathering rising to the mid-point of the central stage; above the buttressses the angles of the tower are canted, slightly extruded and faced with Perpendicular Gothic panels; three bays of panels between the angles on each face; in each of the south, west and north faces of the central stage a large four-light window with a central transom and rectilinear tracery, the crown of the arch capped by a gablet with carved finial; on each face of the upper stage a large, three-light belfry window with a central transom, solid panels below the transom and louvres in the rectiliniar tracery of the window arch; trefoil-headed panels in spandrels above; embattled parapet with elaborate tracery panelling; the former pinnacles at the corners have been removed. INTERIOR: an elaborate lierne vault in the central stage now concealed by a false ceiling. Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Listing NGR: SO8317018541