Building record 745/2/1 - St. Michael's Church, Silverstone

St Michael's Church was built in 1884 by J.P. St. Aubyn at expense of Sir Reginald Loder of Whittlebury Lodge.

{1} Church. Built 1884 by J.P. St. Aubyn at expense of Sir Reginald Loder of Whittlebury Lodge. Coursed squared limestone with ironstone dressings, plain tile roofs. Chancel, organ chamber and vestry, nave, north and south aisles, south porch. Built in the Decorated style. 2-bay chancel has 3-light east window with geometrical tracery, 2-light windows to south and north-east with quatrefoil tracery in heads, plinth, stone eaves and stone-coped east gable. Vestry and organ chamber has boiler house basement with chamfered doorway to east with segmental hood, and small chamfered rectangular window to north, vestry door with chamfered stone surround and hood mould, 2-light window to south with quatrefoil tracery to head, and one-light window to west with pointed trefoil head. Chamfered plinth, stone ends, stone-coped north gable and brick end stack on stone base. North aisle has one-light east window with pointed trefoil head, a 2-light west window with reticulated tracery and 3-light windows to south with straight heads and ogee tracery. North aisle has similar windows to north and similar west window to that of south aisle. South porch has double hollow-chamfered doorway with hood mould, chamfered south door within chamfered plinth and stone-coped gable. Nave has 4-light west window with geometrical tracery and timber-framed bell turret at west end with ribbed lead-covered base with clock face to south, 2-light bell-openings and shingled spire. Nave and aisles are under same roof and have plinth and stone-coped gables. Pointed windows all have hood moulds. Interior: chancel has stone reredos with mosaic of Crucifixion above altar, and arch-braced collar-truss roof. Similar roof to nave and 4-bay arcades with circular columns, moulded ironstone capitals and double-chamfered arches. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.404; Kelly's, Northamptonshire, 1928).

{7} The present church is dated to 1884, but graves in the churchyard are older than this.

{8} The church was formerly known as St John's. It replaced an earlier building built in the classical style in 1780 which was sometimes referred to as St Ann's Church. A plan of 1853 by John Wheeler of Whittlebury shows to have consisted of a chancel, nave with west and north galleries and a small vestry in the north angle between chancel and nave. The 1884 church appears to have been largely built on the foundations of the 1780 structure which is said to have been destroyed by fire. Baker notes that is a 'plain neat building of stone, 59ft9in long by 39ft wide'.

{9} Undated photo, also two photos dated 25.11.1993;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 13/71 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F07 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.404 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.246 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<5> James T.; Steane J., 1997, Correspondence, (checked) (Notes). SNN46701.

<6> DRAWINGS, (unchecked) (Illustration). SNN56603.

<7> Ivens R J., 2006, Archaeological Test Pits at The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105647.

<8> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<9> Photographs of buildings in Silverstone (Photographs). SNN113232.

Record last edited

Dec 13 2024 2:52PM