Church Of Saint Michael

The Church of Saint Michael, built in 1844 by A H Cates for Mr. Wilberforce, is designed in an early Gothic style and underwent restoration in 1968. Constructed from gritstone with a Westmorland slate roof, the church features a five-bay nave that includes a bell-cote at the west end and a south porch at the second bay. The chancel, which has a lower roof, consists of two bays and includes a vestry on the north side. The porch showcases a pointed arch with a hood-mould and is topped by a statue of Saint Michael in a niche. It has a board door with strap hinges. The nave and chancel are adorned with trefoil-headed lancet windows, and the exterior is supported by stepped diagonal buttresses, with ashlar copings and crosses on the gable finials. Inside, the church boasts a fine roof structure featuring raised crucks on corbels in the nave and a type of waggon roof with scissor braces in the chancel. The three-light east window was designed by William Wailes, while the west window serves as a memorial to John Stanley Tute, the first vicar, who passed away in 1897. The bellcote and the west end of the nave roof were damaged by gales in 1962 and were rebuilt by 1968. The vestry was destroyed by fire in 1973, which also caused damage to the Sanctuary roof. The church was rededicated in 1974.