Church of St Michael and All Angels

Details

TM 13 SW BRANTHAM CHURCH LANE 7/37

22.2.55 Church of St Michael & All Angels

GV II*

Parish Church. Medieval with extensive rebuilding and restorations circa 1800 and circa 1869. C14 nave, C19 chancel, north aisle, north porch and lean to south vestry. The west tower, of C14/C15 origin much restored C19. Flint rubble, seataria, ashlar and stone pressings. Red plain tiled roots, stone parapet verges. Chancel:- Moulded plinth and band below windows. Angle buttresses. East window of 5 cinquefoiled ogee lights, tracery over, moulded 2-centred head, moulded label with angel head stops. North and south wall windows similar, of 2 trefoiled lights, tracery over, 2-centred arch, label with foliate stops, one to the south wall and 2 to the north wall. There is a small C20, angled vestry with a hipped roof extending to the chancel eaves, attached to the west of the south wall. It has a 2-centred arch doorway facing east and 2 small windows with 2-centred heads facing south. Nave:- South wall, buttressed at angles and between western and central windows. Central and western windows, 2 trefoiled ogee lights, quatrefoils over, 2-centred heads and labels. The eastern window of 3 trefoiled ogee lights, tracery over, 2-centred head and label. There is a lean-to vestry to the west of the windows, plastered, with 3 gargoyles below eaves. C20 4 light window to south wall, C20 plank and muntin door to west wall. West Tower: Of 4 stages. Angle buttresses. C19 parapet with wheel pattern flint and stone flushwork moulded stone coping, moulded bands below parapet and all windows, moulded plinth. Gargoyles to parapet band which is enriched with ball flowers. Each face of the bell chamber has a louvred window of 2 cinquefoiled ogee lights, tracery over, moulded 2-centred head and stopped label. Third and second stages of west face each with chamfered 2-centred arch window. First stage west window of 2 cinquefoiled lights tracery over, chamfered 2-centred arch and stopped label. St Michael weathervane from the dismantled church of St Michael, Manningtree. Sunk chamfered angles enriched with ball flowers to bell chamber. North aisle:- Buttressed at angles and between windows. Moulded plinth. There are three windows, each of 2 trefoiled lights, tracery over, chamfered 2-centred heads and labels with foliate stops. The gabled porch is to west of these windows. Stone parapet verge, moulded plinth, buttressed in-line with north face. Sunk chamfered and moulded 4-centred outer archway, attached shafts with moulded capitals, broached bases. Label with head stops. Side wall windows each of 3 cinquefoiled lights, tracery over, square heads and labels. Porch interior:- The roof has ashlar posts and collars to each rafter pair. Stone mouldings to windows. North doorway, chamfered and moulded 2-centred arch, vertically boarded door. Church interior:- Chancel:- Roof of 4 bays, moulded wall plates, moulded arched braces to collars, king posts over C19 coloured tiled floor. C19 stained glass to windows. South wall C19 low cill window used as a sedilia. Set into the eastern jamb is a cinquefoiled 2-centred arch piscina. C19 wooden altar rails. C19 poppyheads to choir stalls and carved emblems of the 4 evangelists. The painting of "Christ & the Children" by John Constable, circa 1804, formerly on the south wall, has been removed to Christchurch Mansion Museum, Ipswich, for safe keeping. 2-centred arch doorway to south vestry with segmental arch over. C19 chancel arch, moulded 2-centred arch supported each side by 3 shafts with moulded capitals and bases, carved angel and St Michael corbels. Nave, original 4 bay crown post roof, 4-armed crown posts, moulded capitals and bases, moulded tie beams, moulded wall plates. C19 wooded octagon pulpit carved with depiction of the Glastonbury Thorn. Medieval stained glass panel to eastern window of south wall, said to depict St Edmund and a bishop. This window with low cill sedilia and piscina set-in the eastern jamb. Round headed doorway o south vestry, organ pipes over. North arcade of 4 bays, 2-centred arches of 2 chamfered orders, circular columns with 4 fillets, moulded capitals, square bases. South aisle, lean-to roof of 4 bays, wall posts supported by square, moulded corbels. There is a piscina adjacent t the eastern respond of the south arcade, trefoiled head, blocked drain. Floor slab near north doorway with indents of shields of arms and a cross. Floor slab by south doorway, dates 1750-1760 visible, names now covered by organ. Wall memorial, Rev H R Cole M A Rector 1892-1934. Coat of arms of George III over west tower porch. Octagonal font, carved rim and soffit, quatrefoils within roundels to panels, 2-light tracery under 2-centred arches to stem, moulded base. N.B. This font is not as described by N Pevsner Suffolk 1962.west Tower: Tower arch, chamfered 2-centred arch, angled jambs, moulded basdes. C19 moulded 2-centred arched doorway to stair turret. C19 stained glass to west window. Said to be one bell:- 'Miles Graye Made Me, 1651'. J W Gooch, Peoples Warden Historical Notes on Brantham Church. Undated but C20.

Listing NGR: TM1121634195

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

278810

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Suffolk, (1961)
Gooch, JW, Historical Notes on Brantham Church Babergh, ()

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