Church of St Michael and All Angels, Felton facts for kids
The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a very old church in Felton, Northumberland, England. You can find it right by the river. It was built around the year 1200. Over hundreds of years, many changes and additions were made. It's almost like a new church was built around the original one! Some cool things about it are that parts of the roof, like over the main hall (called the nave) and a side area (an aisle), look like they're missing from the outside. There's also a special window with a design like an eight-petalled flower cut from one big stone. This church is named after Saint Michael and is a very important historical building, known as a Grade I listed building.
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Where is the Church?
The small village of Felton is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Alnwick. It's also about 9 miles (14 km) north of Morpeth. The closest big city is Newcastle upon Tyne, which is about 24 miles (39 km) away. The border with Scotland is only about an hour's drive from Felton.
The church itself sits on a high, tree-covered hill. This hill is to the west of the village. It's also right by the old Great North Road. The church is on a steep slope between the River Coquet and a smaller stream called Back Burn. The churchyard's grassy areas stretch down to the Burn. Felton Park, which used to be a hunting forest, is west of the church.
A Look Back in Time: Church History
Churches named after St. Michael, or St. Michael and All Angels, are very common in northern England. Felton's church was built in the 1200s. It has been changed and added to many times since then. It's almost as if a new church has grown around the older parts.
In 1332, a special permission was given to Roger Mauduit. He wanted to set up a chantry in the church. A chantry was a place where a priest would pray every day for someone's soul. Roger gave land to the church to pay for this priest. Later, in 1759, a man named Thomas Heron gave money. This money was used to build a gallery inside the church. After that, a north aisle (a side section) was probably added.
Church Design and Changes
The oldest parts of the church are the chancel (the area around the altar) and the nave (the main part where people sit). When it was first built, the nave didn't have side aisles. It was a long, narrow building, about 104 feet (32 m) long and 20 feet (6 m) wide. There might have been a small side chapel at one point. There was also a bell turret at the west end and a porch on the south side.
In the 1300s, builders almost doubled the church's size. They took down the north and south walls of the nave. In their place, they built two rows of arches, called arcades. The north side had five arches. The south side had three arches. This was because the old porch was kept and built around. They also rebuilt the bell turret and added a new porch.
The arch leading to the chancel is decorated with sloped edges. It rests on round supports with fancy bases and tops. This arch is made stronger with a support on the southeast corner. Between the 1300s and around 1845, more changes happened. Around 1845, the eastern part of the north aisle was made three times wider. A small room for the priest (a vestry) was added in the late 1860s. At that time, a gallery at the west end was removed. New seats were put in, and new windows were added. Some parts of the roof are very low. This makes them look like they are not there from the outside, especially over the nave and one of the aisles.
Doors of the Church
The south doorway has similar details to the chancel arch. However, it has been changed a lot over time. Only the outer arch and the tops of the supports are original. On the south side of the chancel, a low, arched door for priests was blocked up. A taller, square door was put in nearby. It's likely there was once a priest's door where the modern chancel door is now.
Windows of the Church
The three windows on the south side of the chancel are tall and narrow. They are wider on the inside and narrow at the top, making a three-leaf shape. In the east wall of the south aisle, there is a beautiful window. It has five sections and a special design called tracery. In the middle, there's an eight-petalled flower pattern. What's amazing is that this flower shape was cut from a single stone! This window was probably added around 1331 or 1332. This was when Roger Mauduit got permission to set up his chantry. An old, small window from the Early English Period at the east end was removed during a renovation. It was replaced with a large, round-topped window with small square panes.
The Porch
The first addition to the church seems to have been a porch on the south side. You can still see where it used to be. It reached the current aisle wall. When the builders in the 1300s added aisles to the church, they didn't knock down the old 1200s porch. Instead, they built around it! From this old porch, they built a second one. This second porch is the one you use to enter the church today. You can still see the roof line of the original porch inside the current south door. It's supported by a sloped arch. The outer door of the first porch (which is now the inner door of the current porch) has two sloped edges that go all the way to the ground. It also has a decorative molding above it. Some parts of the corner supports that used to be on either side of this door are still there.
Inside the Church: Fittings
The church has two old bells. One bell is from before the Protestant Reformation (a big change in the church in the 1500s). It has a Latin message on it. The other bell was probably made in 1764. The side benches inside the church are made of stone. The font, which is used for baptisms, has an eight-sided bowl and stand. It has been re-carved and seems to be from the 1300s. In the north wall, there is a part of a stone statue of a priest holding a chalice (a special cup). It rests in an arched space and might also be from the 1300s.
The Vicarage House
A short walk from the church gates is the old vicarage. This is a long, low building that was built in 1758. The vicarage's formal garden is right next to the road that leads to the church. The house is on the east side of the churchyard. It has a wide view to the north. It was either built or rebuilt by Robert Henderson. He was the vicar (priest) of Felton from 1683 to 1726. Above the south door of the vicarage, you can see the date 1683 carved.
