Church of St Michael

Details

SJ 32 NW
7/90

WEST FELTON CP
WOOLSTON ROAD (north side)
Church of St Michael

08.10.59

GV
II*
Parish church. Early and late C12 with tower of 1784; north aisle of 1841 and chancel by George Gilbert Scott in 1848. Further restoration in 1878-79: south aisle, porch and vestry with south wall of chancel rebuilt at same time. Sandstone ashlar to tower, north aisle and chancel (except south side); regularly coursed and dressed rock-faced sandstone with ashlar dressings to remainder; machine-tile roofs with coped verges. Nave; chancel; west tower; north aisle; south aisle and porch; south vestry.

Tower: in three stages with corner pilasters, moulded cornice and parapet; pyramidal tile cap with late C18 weathercock. Belfry has louvred round-headed windows with projecting keystones and imposts; roundels below on north, south and west with similar moulded keystones; iron grilles to those on north and west and clock to south. Blind roundels, also with keystones, to second stage on north and south. Infilled square-headed doorway on north and inserted three-light Decorated-style window of 1878-79 to west.

Lean-to south aisle buttressed in five bays with continuous moulded cill band; three paired two-light windows with cusped heads, one to left and two to right of gabled porch in third bay from west. This has pointed double-chamfered outer arch with hoodmould and carved cross to gable; encaustic tile floor and contemporary double-chamfered inner door. West wall of aisle has two-light Decorated-style window. North aisle in four bays has paired lancets with hoodmoulds plus carved heads at intersection to left and right windows, third window from left incorporating doorway with segmental-pointed arch below. Similar window to west wall. East wall has triplet of stepped lancets with moulded shafts and stiff-leaf capitals; hoodmould with floriated label-stops.

Chancel: two windows on north with reticulated tracery and hoodmoulds with floriated label stops. East window of three cusped lights with mouchettes above; two-light Decorated-style window (c.1879) on south. Gabled south vestry has three-light Decorated-style window to gable, which has octagonal louvre-like finial. Pointed doorway with hoodmould and floriated label-stops to east.

INTERIOR: early C12 north nave arcade of four round-headed arches with one step and single chamfering; circular piers with square abaci and chamfered bases; C12 masonry above arches. South nave arcade also in four bays in early Transitional style but apparently largely rebuilt in 1878-79. Round-headed arches with one step and without chamfering; circular piers with heavily restored capitals and bases, octagonal abaci.

Restored four-centred chancel arch probably C14 and stilted pointed tower arch of 1878-79. C15 arch-braced collar-beam roof in six bays to nave with cusped struts to principal rafters forming lozenge shapes and two tiers of cusped wind braces. Panelled roof (probably c.1879) to chancel and collar-braced roof (1841) to north aisle.

Octagonal C15 font with pedestal and carved quatrefoils to bowl considerably restored 1840. Oak chest at west end of nave inscribed with the date "1686" and the churchwardens' initials "TB" and "ID"; C17 chest in front of north door has rosette
decoration and inscription "RC". C17 table (now altar) at east end of north aisle has turned balusters and round-headed arches with leaf carving to spandrels. Wooden pulpit with carved Gothic tracery dated 1879 and other fittings and furnishings late C19.

Good collection of stained glass: east window depicting scenes from Crucifixion, probably by David Evans of Shrewsbury. More Evans glass in north aisle; east and north east windows presented by Kenyon family in 1841-42 and 1861 respectively; small medallions depicting famous paintings such as Raphael's Transfiguration and Rubens's Christ Taken Down from the Cross. Window above north door showing Moses and Aaron probably contemporary with construction of aisle. Glass in third window from west in memory of members of Mostyn-Owen family of Woodhouse (q.v.) by Kempe (1902). Mid-C19 stained glass in chancel north wall, right window c.1860. Glass in first window from west in south aisle (eastern of two lights) reputed to be by Ninian Comper (c.1925).

Monuments: chancel north wall: cartouche to Edward Jones (died 1673). South nave arcade (east end): elaborate wall memorial with fluted urn on tapering chest tomb, erected by John Dovaston in 1793 in memory of his parents and brothers. Various C19 wall memorials to members of Mostyn-Owen family in north aisle. A board dated 1718 on tower south wall records lands belonging to West Felton Parsonage at that time.

Listing NGR: SJ3411425225

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

255803

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, (1908), 785-7
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 311-2
Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society in 2nd Series, Vol. 9, (), 309-84

End of official list entry

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