Church of St Michael

Details

LICHFIELD

SK1209NW CHURCH STREET 1094-1/6/66 (South side) 05/02/52 Church of St Michael

II*

Church. Mainly C13 in origin with C14 tower, but mostly dating from restoration of 1842-3 by Thomas Johnson, chancel restored, 1890-1, by JO Scott. Ashlar with tile roofs, some of fishscale tiles. 3-bay chancel with south organ loft and vestry; 4-bay nave with clerestory and gabled aisles, west tower and spire. Plinth, sill courses and coped gables. Chancel has 1890 five-light east window with Perpendicular tracery, blind trefoil over and gable cross, 1842 north and south lancets with splayed reveals between tall gabled buttresses; gabled organ loft projects from south aisle, diagonal buttress and window of 3 cusped lights with lancet over, stair turret to angle with aisle, 2-light east window with flowing tracery over low vestry with parapet and small double-chamfered-mullioned windows and window of 2 cusped lights from organ loft. Clerestory has 2-light windows; north aisle has 3-light windows with Perpendicular tracery between offset buttresses, end diagonal buttresses and 3-light east and west windows; 2-storey porch has embattled parapet, entrance with moulded arch and Perpendicular style niche above with statue of St Michael, relief monograms and armorial bearings to north and east and date 1843; south aisle has east bell turret and stack, 3-light windows with flowing tracery between offset buttresses, west angle buttress and 2-light window. Tower has diagonal buttresses, some tile inserts, 2 tiers of cusped lancets and 2-light louvred bell-openings, embattled parapet and needle spire with string courses, 2 tiers of lucarnes and wind vane, north and south upper lancets only, south entrance with shouldered lintel. INTERIOR: chancel has waggon-boarded roof with arch with traceried spandrels on wall shafts to sanctuary; marble floor with open lozenge pattern; south arch to organ loft, 1890s sedilia in window recess and credence shelf in recess with cinquefoil arch, north arched tomb recess with C14 effigy of civilian with lively dog to feet, probably William de Walton, found 1846; chancel arch of one order; nave has 4-bay Perpendicular style arcades and hammer-beam roof with arch-braced collars and cusped wind braces; tower entrance with 4-centred head and lancet over; south aisle has arch to organ loft and splayed angle entrance. Fittings: chancel has timber reredos with 4 statues of archangels, brass rail on wrought iron grilles, stalls with tracery panels and figures in niches, similar pulpit, good organ case; nave has font with initials and date: WG/ 1669, octagonal with roll-moulded angles and stylised Tudor roses and fleurs-de-lis; painted Royal arms of 1711 over chancel arch. Memorials: many good C18 wall tablets, 2 floor slabs to nave including that to Samuel Johnson's parents and brother of 1784 (re-cut). Stained glass: several C19 windows, good east window of 1893-7. The church is on one of the oldest sites in Lichfield, recorded as being one of England's 5 ancient Christian burial grounds. (Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Staffordshire: London: 1974-: P.190; The Lichfield Guides: Nicholls G: Johnson's Lichfield: Lichfield: 1981-; Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Greenslade M W: Lichfield: Oxford: 1990-: P.147-51).

Listing NGR: SK1238109510

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

382619

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Stafford, (1990), 147-51
Nicholls, G, Johnson's Lichfield, (1981), 190

End of official list entry

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