Church Of St Michael And All Angels

Church of St Michael and All Angels

A medieval church of 14th and 15th-century date, standing on the west side of Ashton Road Hill. The church was substantially restored and modified in the 19th and 20th centuries: the west tower was rebuilt in 1848 by R.C. Hussey, the body of the church underwent restoration from 1853 onwards by E.F. Law, and further restoration occurred in 1911.

The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with limestone and ironstone dressings, and features slate roofs. It comprises a chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch, and west tower.

The chancel is single-bayed with a 3-light Perpendicular east window with a 4-centred head, a 3-light Perpendicular window to the south with similar head, and a 2-light window to the north with Decorated tracery. All windows have hood moulds. A priest's door to the south-west has a chamfered stone surround, segmental-arched head and hood mould.

The nave contains 3-light Perpendicular windows either side of the porch with 4-centred heads, the east side example being larger. There are 2-light clerestory windows with straight heads and ogee-arched heads to the lights, all with hood moulds. A 1-light window to the south-east at low level has a chamfered stone surround. The south porch has a double hollow-chamfered door and similar doorway, with 1-light windows to east and west, the latter featuring a cinquefoiled head, all with hood moulds.

The north aisle has a large 3-light east window with intersecting tracery, a 3-light west window with reticulated tracery, and 2-light windows to the north with Y-tracery, quatrefoils to the head and lop-sided cusped heads to the lights, all with hood moulds.

The 3-stage west tower has a 2-light west window with Decorated tracery and hood mould. The middle stage windows are 1-light with chamfered stone surrounds and straight heads. The bell-chamber openings are 1-light, those to north and south having Caernarvon-arched heads with rectangular hollow-chamfered stone surrounds, and those to east and west having trefoils to the heads. The tower is topped with a saddle-back roof.

Stone-coped gables with kneelers are present, and hollow-chamfered stone eaves run along the chancel, nave and aisle. Diagonal off-set buttresses are positioned at the south-east angle of the nave, the south-west angle, and to the east side of the south-east window.

Interior

The nave has a 2-bay arcade with octagonal piers, polygonal responds, moulded bases and capitals, and double-chamfered arches. An octagonal pulpit of 17th-century date has two tiers of panels with blank round-headed arches. Windows of the 19th and 20th centuries contain stained glass.

Monuments and fittings

A wooden effigy of a knight with crossed legs, dating to the early 14th century, is traditionally identified as Sir Philip de Lou, Lord of the Manor in 1315. An alabaster effigy of Sir John de Herteshull, who died before 1365, lies on a tomb-chest with arched panels, ball-flower frieze and inscription to the upper edge. Brasses of Robert Marriott (died 1584) and family are mounted on a chest-tomb. A wall monument to Reverend John Whitford (died 1667) and his wife Judith comprises a slate tablet and veined grey marble surround with volutes flanking the inscription and a cartouche of arms above. A wall monument of veined white marble to Captain Richard Lestocke, J.P. for Middlesex (died 1713) features an apron bearing crossed anchors, flags and cutlasses, volutes flanking an inscription panel, a small round-arched pediment and a pair of cherub heads above.