Church Heritage Record 620602

Some original stonework from the 1190s church remains in the nave, as well as stonework from the late thirteenth century. The south aisle was added in the late fourteenth century, along with the arched hammer-beam roof structure. The tower dates largely from the fifteenth century. The south porch was added in the fifteenth century and extended in the 17th. The 18th century saw the rebuilding of the north wall using existing stone. The chancel was partially rebuilt during the 1870’s restoration, but the original Perpendicular window on the south side retained.

The church has a nave, with tower on the west end and chancel at the east. There is a large south aisle and south porch, which is the main entrance. The west door in the tower remains openable, but is no longer used as an entrance and is accessed internally via the toilet.

The interior layout is of a nave and south aisle, separated by a three-bay, arcade The arcade is fifteenth century while the columns are nineteenth century. They replace earlier oak columns and were inserted after damage during the Civil War. The columns are octagonal with round-moulded capitals. There is a chancel, tower and south porch. The pointed tower arch is fifteenth century, with moulded capitals. In the tower space is a toilet, with steps up to the organ and the organ. The organ and case are nineteenth century but the case has been constructed from reused eighteenth century panelling. The organ is a Father Willis organ – a company known for producing high quality instruments. It was installed after World War II, in memory of those who had lost their lives. Above that, in the tower is the ringing chamber and the bells, accessed via a staircase under the tower arch. There is a panelled wooden screen with a door at the west end of the south aisle, which houses a vestry, and is used for storage and refreshment facilities.

There is a single step into the chancel and a softly-pointed chancel arch that is mounted on two head-corbels of a King and queen. The arch and corbels are nineteenth century. The chancel interior dates from the 1870s' restoration. It contains two rows of choir seating on each side, divided seats in the back row and a long bench in the front row. In front of that is a frontal and shelf. The front panel is carved and decorated with pierced trefoils. The rest the choir seating is rather plainly finished but stands on decorative ironwork. The altar rails match.

The long kneeler cushions for the choir seating are decorated with musical notes. They are twentieth century, are well-made, and their design charmingly fits their purpose. The choir seating also has cushions of a similar style but different design.

The rest of the church contains tall bench pews, with simple rectangular ends, and no decorative carving. Each ‘seat’ has a kneeler hanging beneath the reading shelf in front. The kneelers are individually sewn, with an image of local significance on it. These are nineteenth century with some reused panelling from the eighteenth century.

The pulpit is late eighteenth century, with a brass candle holder. The pews and choir seating was clearly constructed to match this earlier woodwork, and even reused some of the eighteenth century panelling, giving a homogenous feel to the church interior.

Monuments cover the walls of the church, through the chancel, nave and south aisle. Of particular note are the four hatchments and the Royal Arms. All were restored in 2018 or 2019 when considerable research into their provenance was carried out. One of the hatchments in the chancel is to Mrs Katherine Bolas, d.1756, daughter of Arthur Chambre of Burlton Hall. The Chambre family name has been recorded in the parish since 1532, they were local gentry and landowners and have been involved with the church over the years, as churchwardens, pew owners and vicar during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Notably they combined funds with the Dicken family to pay for the extension of the chancel as part of the Victorian refurbishment in 1870. This hatchment is the only one in the church to be painted on wood panels. The other three are on canvas.

The other hatchment in the chancel is dated 1695 and is one of the oldest in Shropshire. It is not named but has three boars heads on one side and a lion rampant on the other, so is likely to be associated with the Vaughan family, who bought Burlton hall. This one is on canvas and photographs before its restoration show that it had been folded.

The other two hatchments relate to the Noneley family of Noneley Hall in Noneley, a town in the parish. This family are recorded as landowners from 1654 (possibly earlier) until the mid nineteenth century. They were responsible for providing almshouses in the parish. One is to Richard Noneley d.1794 and had been suffering extreme paint flaking and loss. The other is to Richard Marigold Noneley d.1839, son of the other Richard Noneley. He has incorporated marigolds into the arms, because they belonged to his mother and she had no other heraldic heir to pass it onto.

The Royal Arms is undated and has no monarch’s initials. The conservation report determined that it was definitely post 1837 despite HE list entry placing it earlier.

There is a Benefaction Board on the north wall at the western-most end of the nave. It is painted on panel and is late nineteenth century detailing donations left by those of the parish (Mary Griffiths of Woodgate) to the poor. The board was added to with a much more recent bequeath from Colonel Lloyd Dicken in 1927.

In addition to these are other wall-mounted monuments in marble and brass, including two prominently set south of the altar on the east wall.

The font is late nineteenth century, possibly from the 1870s' restoration and there is an additional font bowl nearby which is probably medieval. The oak chest in front of the north door is seventeenth century. There are two embroidery pieces in the church. One in the now unused north doorway is of St Michael slaying a devil/evil – the main saint to whom the church is dedicated. In the south chapel is a second which depicts Christ as ‘the light of the world’ and a third smaller one, mounted in the wall in memory of two children.

There are stained glass late nineteenth century in various windows throughout. The majority is of high quality design.

The chancel floor is carpet over flagstones, likely Yorkstone, and ledgerstones, some of which are covered by the choir stalls. While the nave is light brick with a carpet runner down the middle. The floor in the south aisle has two worn ledgerstones set amongst flagstones.

The nave ceiling is a mid seventeenth century, arch-braced, collar-beam roof. It has carved pendant knobs, single tiers of ogee-curved braces and miniature hammerbeams. These have shields bearing arms of local families, except the most north-westerly one which has a grotesgue face. The roof of the south aisle is similar roof structure, likely the same date, just less elaborate and without the hammerbeams. Between the wood is white plaster. The chancel roof is barrel-vaulted.

Fifteenth century

• Arcade
• Tower arch
• Font bowl

Seventeenth century

• Oak chest
• Hatchment possibly with the Vaughan arms
• Nave roof
• Aisle roof

Late eighteenth century

• Pulpit
• Hatchments – one in the chancel to Katherine Bolas (d.1756) and one in nave to Richard Nonely (d.1794)

Nineteenth century (mostly from the 1870s' restoration)

• Pews (incorporating earlier panelling)
• Choir seating
• Font
• Chancel arch and corbels
• Hatchment in nave to Richard Marigold Nonely (d.1839)
• Royal Arms – 1837
• Stained glass
  • East window, C.1883 – Crucifixion scene
  • North wall of chancel, 1874 – Saints John and Mary
• Benefaction board
• Lectern

Twentieth century

• Organ
• Soft furnishings
  • Hassocks/kneelers
  • Choir seat runners
  • Choir kneelers
  • St Michael tapestry
  • Light of the World tapestry (for the millennium)
  • Altar rail cushions – panorama of the village
• Stained glass
  • South wall of aisle, c.1914 – Nativity scene
  • North wall of nave, 1947 – Angel appearing to Two of the Maries: ‘He is Risen’. James Powell and Sons of Whitefriars