Church of St Michael

Details

SO 96 NW

STOKE PRIOR CP
HANBURY ROAD (north side)
Church of St Michael

16.11.67

GV
I
Parish church. Early C12, extended late C12 to early C13 with some C14 and C15 alterations, restored several times mid to late C19. Sandstone ashlar with shingle spire and tile roofs. Early C12 nave, restored north aisle, short C15 south aisle, early C13 chancel, late C12 St Catherine's (north) Chapel and early C13 vestry; late C12 tower in south east angle between chancel and nave.

Tower: late C12, four stages defined by string courses, clasping buttresses, parapet with trefoiled arcading and corbel table below; south side: belfry stage has three lancets with engaged shafts to responds, second stage blind, first stage: two lancets with engaged shafts to responds; ground floor: entrance has a two-centred head and engaged respond shafts; on east side there is a projecting altar recess with two restored lancets.

Nave: south wall: two-bay south aisle to right added in C15, with stepped buttresses and crenellated parapet, windows are each of four cinquefoiled lights under four-centred heads; to left two bays of nave, a small C12 semicircular-headed window to left, late C19 stone porch to left enclosing C12 south door which has a semicircular head of two orders with roll mouldings and enriched label; respond shafts have waterleaf capitals; west end rebuilt C19 with window of three ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head over a west door with a two-centred head of two chamfered orders; north aisle: rebuilt C19, four bays, that to left filled by vestry, others each have a square headed window of three trefoiled lights.

Chancel: north wall: three bays, two to left consists of late C12 chapel to right which has two windows, a C12 semicircular-headed window and a C14 window of two ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head; next bay the blind early C13 vestry; right-hand bay has a C13 lancet; south wall: tower to left, a C14 window of two ogee trefoiled lights under a two-centred head to right; east window: five ogee trefoiled lights with reticulated tracery and a two-centred head.

INTERIOR: nave: C12, north arcade of five bays, semicircular arches of two orders on circular columns; south arcade of two bays with early C13 clustered columns and two-centred arches or two moulded orders; chancel arch C14 of two chamfered orders to two-centred head with engaged respond shafts. South aisle: tower arch two-centred of three orders; chancel arch to St Catherine's Chapel C14, segmental pointed arch of two chamfered orders, similar arch to south; three-seat sedilia and trefoil headed piscina. Vestry has a stone vault with chamfered diagonal ribs springing from angle corbels. Tower, the altar recess has a pointed stone barrel vault.

Roofs: nave has timber barrel vault of five bays, north aisle a lean-to C19 roof, chancel: C19 common-rafter roof; south aisle has a C15 lean-to roof.

Fittings: C15 octagonal font with an angel in low relief on each side; C13 effigy of recumbent priest set in wall of south aisle.

Listing NGR: SO9493267699

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

156156

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Doubleday, AH, Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Worcester, (1913), 529
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (1968), 265-266

End of official list entry

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