Listed Building: Church of St. Michael (1343558)

Church. Saxon west tower, body of the church rebuilt c.1639, and again in 1859, by Philip Hardwick. Coursed squared limestone with ironstone dressings, some brick. Roofs mainly tiled, rest of lead. Chancel, nave, north and south nave and chancel aisles, north chancel vestry, south porch, west tower. East windows to vestry and chancel have 3 lights and Decorated style tracery, rest 2 and 3-light mullion windows with hood moulds. Crenellated parapets to nave and chancel, plain to aisles. North door has round arch and imposts. Early English south door with nailhead hood mould in gabled porch; south aisle extends across south side of west tower. Saxon west tower of 3 stages, plastered rubble, with medieval battlements. Ground floor has blocked square-headed door with jambs laid alternately upright and flat, partially blocked square-headed window with hood mould above; carved stone, probably part of a cross-shaft incorporated in north-west angle. First floor has original double-splayed round-headed west window; datestone inscribed 1776 below, possibly recording date of strengthening of tower with 2 iron bands. String course to belfry stage cut by 2-light medieval windows; pilaster strips to west and east side of latter windows. Interior: chancel with Jacobean reredos. 2 bay arcades to north and south aisles, nave arcades of 3 bays. Scissor-braced roofs to nave and chancel. Lady chapel in south chancel aisle has Jacobean screenwork with small niches on balusters, formerly part of screen between nave and chancel. Fine C13 and early C17 chest tombs with effigies, the latter by Nicholas Stone, C17, C18 and C19 wall monuments and ambitious wall monument to Thomas Turner who died 1714, with life-sized figures of deceased and 'Christian Faith'. (Buildings of England, Northants, 1973. H.M. Taylor, Anglo-Saxon Architecture, Vol. II, p.594, 1965).

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 12:59PM