Building record 799/1/1 - St. Michael's Church, Stowe IX Churches

The Church of St Michael is originally Saxon in date although the west tower is the only upstanding element that dates to this period. Chancel, nave, north and south nave and chancel aisles, north chancel vestry, south porch, west tower. A Saxon cross is situated in the south aisle and foundations of the original Saxon church were found during restoration work in the 19th century. Monuments inside the church date back to the 13th century. The bulk of the building is in Perpendicular style and dates to the 17th century and it is constructed of ironstone with some limestone. It appears that the west tower must have been re-rendered in the 18th century as it is inscribed with a date of 1775. During the restoration of c1860 the roof was replaced wtih stone tile.

{1} 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).

{3} Saxon cross fragments were found about 30 years during restoration, they had been built into the gallery at the west end of the church.

{5} The render to the tower is in poor condition and has detached in several places. There is some cracking to the chancel over the south arcade wall, possibly related to minor ground movement. The south aisle roof is leaking and valley gutter linings need repair.

{9} The size of the early Saxon church can be determined as approx 4.15 x 9.02m. A doorway to the east at gound level has a sill at 6.7m high, the door has been interpreted as access to roof space. This gives the approx height of the tie beams. The article asks the question was the tower added to an earlier building? The interpretation of the site leads to the conclusion that the Church was built as a shrine or oratory possibly served by two priests, and related to the cult of St Werburgh and St Almoth.
Three stones are built into the fabric of the tower. Stone No4 is set as an external quoin into the NW angle of the tower, it is a section of a cross shaft 672mm in length and an average of 400mm square.
Stone no 6 is set into the bell chamber close to the jamb of the blocked Anglo Saxon window on the south elevation of the tower it may have been set here post Norman conquest. The stone is limestone and displays two levels of interconnected knots. It may have been the upper part of a cross shaft or part of a shrine or tomb. Stone No 7 is also set into the bell chamber opposite no 6 and bears two levels of tight knotwork. Stone No 1, now lying west of the tower, is considered to be of Roman origin, probably of the 2nd century AD. It appears to be art of a monumental religious structure portraying a deity which may be Apollo.

{11} Fragments of a Saxon cross were found in 1860 and 1883 respectively, during restoration.

{12} Photos of cross fragments.

{14} Listed as St Peter's and St Paul's Church, Anglo-Saxon architecture. See index.

{16} Historic building recording undertaken prior to and during renovation works and includes an analysis of the different types of render present on the tower prior to its removal and subsequent repairs to the stonework. The stonework lof the lower stage of the tower largely comprised rough coursing with no quoins which had caused structural issues. During these works a new carved stone fragment (Stone 8) was revealed set within the south-west corner of the tower on the lower stage, 2nd lift. This previously lay beneath the render. This stone measures 85cm tall, with its north face 38-40cm wide, and west face 29-32cm wide. This is similar to other similarly dated examples which have a narrow and wide face, with the cross at the top set facing the wider side. Along with 3 and 4 (and possibly 6 and 7) this stone is part of a cross probably dating to the 9th century.

{17} Undated photo, also undated photo of marble effigy of knight, four undated photos of Saxon stonework, and one photo of Saxon cross-shaft dated July 1974.

{18} In addition to the cross remains within the church a further section is built into the outer NW corner of the tower. See photographs.

{19} The tower has two stages, quoins are hidden in the pilaster, a length of carved shaft of cross is in the exterior north-west corner of the quoin. In the lower windows in the western wall the upper one is round headed and double splayed, the lower one has a flat renewed lintel and single splay. The tower arch is fine vouissured with a sectioned head.

{21} Drawings and photos of effigies, sketches, drawings, photos and notes on Saxon cross, notes and measurements, drawings of tombs, plan of church.

{22} A burial vault beneath the South Chapel was opened in 1983 during a search for the coffin of Lady Elizabeth Carey and the hope that Shakespearean artefacts might be recovered. None were found.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 6/119 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F05 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Romilly Allen, 1888, Early Christian Sculpture in Northamptonshire, p.421 (unchecked) (Series). SNN6339.

<4> SUPPLEMENTARY FILE, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN51735.

<5> Historic England, 2017, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2017, p. 57 (Report). SNN111090.

<6> Historic England, 2018, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2018, p. 57 (Report). SNN111434.

<7> Northamptonshire Past and Present (St Michaels Church Stowe), 136-74 (Journal). SNN47609.

<8> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<9> Brown, A E, Key, T R, Orr, C, Woodfield, C T P, 1981, The Stowe Charter - A Revision and Some Implications, p144 Appendix 1+ 2 (Article). SNN104586.

<10> 1905, RELIQUARY, 121 (Uncertain). SNN54715.

<11> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, Parish Drawer (checked) (Archive). SNN115.

<12> 1886, Northamptonshire Notes and Queries (Series 1), 2/223 (unchecked) (Series). SNN13984.

<13> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<14> TAYLOR H.M., 1978, Anglo-Saxon Architecture, (unchecked) (Book). SNN74139.

<15> HORLEY A.A., 1977, STOWE NINE CHURCHES' PARISH CHURCH, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN47608.

<16> Wilson, L, 2021, Historic building recording at St Michael's Church, Church Stowe, Stowe IX Churches, Northamptonshire, April 2020-February 2021 (Report). SNN112698.

<17> Photographs of buildings in Stowe Nine Churches (Photographs). SNN113402.

<18> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 29-JAN-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<19> Fisher, E A, 1969, Anglo-Saxon towers : an architectural and historical study, p. 129 (Book). SNN115169.

<20> Historic England, St Michaels Church, Stowe Nine Churches, BF107409 (Archive). SNN115170.

<21> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/252/1,2,4-7,9-21-26 (Archive). SNN115.

<22> Marlow, A, 1983, Report on the finding of a vault beneath the south chapel of St Michael's Church, Stowe Nine Churches, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN116490.

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 12:58PM