CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL

Overview

Location

Details

SJ 4629-4729; 15/41

LOPPINGTON C.P., LOPPINGTON

Church of St Michael

28.10.60

GV

I

Parish church. C14 and late C15, partly rebuilt mid-C17 and early C18; restored 1870. Regularly coursed and dressed yellow and red sandstone; plain tile roofs with coped verges and ornamental cresting. Nave, chancel, west tower, south aisle and porch.

Tower: late C15 in three stages with diagonal buttresses and slightly projecting north-east rectangular stair turret. Embattled parapet with gargoyles to three corners encloses pyramidal roof with ornamental brass weathercock. Two-light trefoil- headed openings to belfry with small lancet to second stage on south; west window of three cusped lights with panel tracery above. Segmental- headed west doorway has hoodmould and nail-studded door. Vaulted canopy for former statue has bracket beneath to string course of second stage, which is carved with a female figure holding a shield with a cross upon it. Nave: north side buttressed in two unequal bays with heavily restored 2-light C14 window immediately to west of buttress and pointed triple- chamfered C14 doorway reused when this section of wall was rebuilt in mid-C17; section to east rebuilt 1716: see date stone inscribed "EDWARD KYNASTON/SAMUEL HAMPTON/CHURCHWARDENS/1716". C15 south aisle buttressed in three bays has two broad 3-light windows with 4-centred arches on south and one on west with a similar window of four lights to east; all have head stops, that to west on south with two heads to one stop. Timber-framed porch in west bay dated 1656 with name of Nicholas Dickin, churchwarden, in raised lettering to lintel, considerably restored with sandstone ashlar side walls. Heavily restored C15 south doorway has a 4-centred arch under a square label with spandrels; massive nail-studded double doors and a C18 royal coat-of-arms above on outside. Short one-bay chancel has C15 window on south, similar to those in aisle, and a contemporary narrow doorway with 2-centred arch to west. Restored 2-light trefoil- headed window on north with armorial shield to apex and east window of three lights with reticulated tracery, hoodmould and head stops.

INTERIOR: pointed tower arch with moulded capitals C15 but chancel arch with corbelled responds and carved heads is C19. Three-bay C15 south arcade with C19 round-arched, and octagonal piers replacing oak columns inserted after damage in Civil War. Main feature is mid-C17 arch-braced collar-beam roof to nave: carved pendant knobs, single tiers of ogee-curved wind braces and miniature hammer beams, which have shields bearing arms of local families except to north-west, which has carved grotesque face. Similar but less elaborate roof to aisle. Late C19 octagonal font but large basin nearby is probably medieval. Panelled pulpit is probably early C18 and some contemporary panelling has been reused in C19 pews and organ gallery. C17 oak chest in front of north door and C19 board recording benefactions of Mary Griffiths of Woodgate (q.v.) to parish. Late C19 stained glass in various windows throughout. MONUMENTS: C18 and C19 wall tablets and memorials to various members of local families throughout church; C18 funerary hatchments in chancel (north wall) and aisle (south wall). The church was granted to Wombridge Priory (Herefs) c.1190. In 1643 it was held by Parliamentarian forces but was subsequently stormed and taken by the Royalists, considerable damage being caused in the process.

Listing NGR: SJ4716029275

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

260496

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS , The Churches of Shrewsbury, (1894-1908), 760-62
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.