Church Of St Michael

CARLISLE

NY4057SW CHURCH STREET, Stanwix 671-1/4/97 (South side) 13/11/72 Church of St Michael

GV II

Church of England church on a medieval site. 1841-3 by John Hodgson; 1843 repairs; 1893 alterations and 1907 extension. Red sandstone ashlar in irregularly-coursed small blocks, on chamfered plinth, with clasping buttresses carried up as pinnacles on tower and nave; stone-bracketed metal gutters. Graduated greenslate roof with coped gables and cross finials. West 3-stage square tower/porch; 10-bay nave with transepts; apsidal chancel with north organ chamber (former vestry) and south vestry extension. Built in Commissioners style. Tower has west double plank doors in painted chamfered arch; tall lancets above on 2 levels, the upper ones with louvred vents; clock faces on 3 sides. Nave and transepts have tall lancet windows. Vestries have 2- and 3-light windows some with cusped heads, others rounded. Apse has arcade of small round-arched windows. INTERIOR: rib-vaulted plaster ceiling in nave and apse. Windows mostly of plain glass; some C20 stained glass. C19 painted board giving list of church benefactors and Hanoverian kings' arms 1714-1801. Late C19 hexagonal wooden pulpit and benches. 1893 granite-pillared sandstone font. Extensive white marble wall plaques some with carved portrait heads, draped figures etc, to Robert Ferguson d.1816 (see Marshall Hall, 1979), Eliza Graham d.1852 and John Chambers d.1850 are all by John Kirkbride 1786-1854; Esther Bonnel d.1822, Isabella Patrickson d.1854, Charles James Graham d.1847 and Wm Sowerby d.1855 are all by Thomas Nelson 1807-90; Charles Wm Thompson d.1843 by Christopher Woodall 1795-1859; Maria Woodrouffe Head d.1854 by Bedford of Oxford (this is probably J Bedford of Oxford Street, London); Capt Hugh Patrickson d.1821 by Paul Nixson 1768-1850. HISTORY: The foundation stone was laid on 1 June 1841 and it opened in 1843, but a fire on 21 December 1843 destroyed the wooden fitments and roof; for further details see Taylor (1982). Built on the site of a Roman Wall fort. (Marshall Hall: The Artists of Cumbria: 1979-: P.50; Taylor G: A Brief History of Stanwix: 1982-).

Listing NGR: NY4014457043