Parish church of St Michael

Details

TL 1295
13/27

CHESTERTON
OUNDLE ROAD (north side)
Parish church of St Michael

13.12.57

I
Parish church. C12 nave, south aisle early C13 and ground stage of tower. Chancel arch c.1300 and north aisle, mid C14 clerestory and spire to tower. Chancel rebuilt c.1730 and south porch added. Restorations in 1841 and 1907, architects Townsend and Fordham. Walls of stone rubble and ashlar dressings. Roofs of lead.

South elevation: west tower of two stages surmounted by a broach-spire with corbel-table of carved heads, stair turret in south-west angle, belfry window of two pointed lights with a pierced spandrel in a two-centred head with chamfered label; tall lancet window below, two tiers of gabled spire lights each with two trefoiled lights and a quatrefoil in a two-centred head. Nave with embattled parapet with ball-flower ornament and three clerestory windows c.1330 each with three trefoiled lights in a square head with moulded label and mask stops; small ogee headed trefoiled light to east. South aisle with plain parapet and two C18 depressed semi-circular headed windows with plain imposts and keystone. South doorway C13 with two-centred head of three moulded orders with moulded label, two orders on detached shafts with capitals carved with 'stiff-leaf' ornament and one with carved head. C18 south porch with a semi-circular headed archway with Gibbs surround. Chancel rebuilt in ashlar with plain parapet and plinth and rusticated quoins; round-headed arches to priest's doorway and eastern window similar to south aisle. Two rainwater pipes inscribed 'GG 1821' (Hon. Rev. George Gordon, Rector 1819-1863).

Interior: nave arcades of four bays, north arcade with two-centred arches of two hamfered orders with moulded labels to the nave, octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases the later south arcade has two octagonal and one round pier, one with 'waterleaf' foliage and one with 'stiff-leaf' foliage carved capitals, all with moulded bases.

West tower arch, two-centred of three chamfered orders, the inner two orders on half-round responds with moulded capitals and bases. Chancel arch c.1300, two-centred of two chamfered orders with moulded label and mask stops. C18 chancel screen of three arcaded bays frieze and cornice with plastered wall above. Reredos with coupled Ionic pilasters and wide pediment. C18 pulpit. C18 baluster font. Piscina in south aisle with chamfered jambs, two centred head C13, and recess in north aisle with shouldered triangular head and carved head stop above apex. Nave roof C17 of five bays with cambered tie beams; north aisle roof with five curved stop-chamfered tie beams.

Monuments and floor slabs see RCHM and VCH, of note to Sir Robert Bevill and his son Sir Robert dated 1611, and to John Driden 1707-8.

Inskip Ladds Collection, Norris Museum, St Ives.

Listing NGR: TL1264895438

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

54835

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Inventory of Huntingdonshire, (1926), 54
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, (1954), 54
Page, W, Proby, G, The Victoria History of the County of Huntingdon, (1936), 142

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.