Monument Type(s):

• PARISH CHURCH (12th century to Early 20th century (pre-war) - 1100 AD to 1913 AD)

Summary

A 12th century parish church, with later alterations, which is protected by Grade II* Listing.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA6938 - 2012 WB at St Michael’s Church, West Felton by CPAT
• ESA7680 - 2012 DBA of Manor Farm, West Felton by Richard K Morriss

Description

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 1878/9: 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 3 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 keys tones, to second stage on north and south. Infilled square-headed doorway on north and inserted 3-light Decorated-style window of 1878/9 to west. Lean-to south aisle buttressed in 5 bays with continuous moulded cill b and; 3 paired 2-light windows with cusped heads, one to left and 2 to rig ht 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 h as 2-light Decorated-style window. North aisle in 4 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 wit h floriated label-stops. Chancel: 2 windows on north with reticulated tracery and hoodmoulds with floriated label stops. East window of 3 cusped lights with mouchettes above; 2-light Decorated-style window (c.187 9) on south. Gabled south vestry has 3-light Decorated-style window to g able, which has octagonal louvre-like finial. Pointed doorway with hoodmould and floriated label-stops to east. Interior. Early C12 north nave arcade of 4 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 4 bays in early Transitional style but apparently largely rebuilt in 1878/9. Round-headed arches with one step and without chamfering; circular piers with heavily restored capitals and bases, octagonal abaci. Restored 4-centred chancel arch probably C14 and stilted pointed tower arch of 1878/9. C15 arch-braced collar beam roof in 6 bays to nave with cusped struts to principal rafters forming lozenge shapes and 2 tiers of cusped windbraces. Panelled roof (probably c.1879) t o chancel and collar-braced roof (1841) to north aisle. Octagonal C15 font with pedestal and carved quatrefoils to bowl considerably restored 184 0. 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 h as 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 1841/2 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-O wen 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 2 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 hi s 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. <2>

The church is possibly within the bailey of the castle (PRN 01124). <3>

A watching brief was carried out during the excavation of a service trench within the churchyard of St. Michaels in 2012. The watching brief provided significant evidence for earlier phases of St Michael's Church, predating the present south aisle and tower, as well as identifying a number of undisturbed burials. The present form of the church owes much to major refurbishments during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The service trench adjacent to the south wall of the church revealed elements of an earlier structure, consisting of three buttresses which must be associated with an earlier phase of the church before the south aisle was rebuilt slightly to the north of its original position. The church is depicted in several late 18th-century watercolours, showing the south aisle and chancel before rebuilding. However, none of these depictions shows any buttresses along the south side of the church, suggesting that the fabric revealed during the watching brief is likely to be from a relatively early build, perhaps contemporary with one of the earlier surviving elements of the church, comprising the early 12th-century north nave arcade and the 14th-century chancel arch. Whatever the date of the early buttresses, the evidence suggests that this side of the church has been rebuilt on at least two occasions. It is now clear that at least part of the church was floored with decorative ceramic tiles during the medieval period. A significant number of fragmentary tiles were recovered from the relatively small excavation within the tower, which demonstrated that the tiles had been redeposited amongst rubble, presumably when the tower was rebuilt in 1784. The watching brief also identified the foundations for earlier walls adjacent to the tower which presumably relate to a pre-1784 tower. Unsurprisingly for a church which has been in use since at least the 12th century the watching brief demonstrated several periods of burial, with a number of intercutting graves recorded to the east of the church. <7>

The church seems to have had a primary north aisle when it was first built, with a south aisle added later in the 12th century. <8>

Photograph taken on 25th April 2015. <9>

Shropshire Archives hold a watercolour of Church of St Michael, Woolston Road, West Felton (Reference 6001/372/2/70), by Reverend Edward Williams, dated to 1790, prior to restoration by George Gilbert Scott. A small-scale thumbnail can be found via their online catalogue: https://www.shropshirearchives.org.uk/collections/getrecord/CCA_X6001_19_372B_70 <10>

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.