Church of St Michael the Archangel, Aldershot facts for kids
The Church of St Michael the Archangel is a very old church in Aldershot, Hampshire. It has been around since the 1100s, but there was probably an even older church on the same spot. Today, it's a special building that is protected because of its history. You can find it right next to Manor Park.
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A Look Back: History of St Michael's
The land where St Michael's church stands used to belong to Alfred the Great, a famous English king. When he passed away, he gave the land to the monks at Winchester Cathedral. The church itself was likely built around the year 1120.
The first time St Michael's church is mentioned in old records is in 1121. It talks about wax for candles. Later, in 1171, it's mentioned again because the people of Aldershot had to pay money every year to the Priory of St Swithun. This money was for keeping three lights burning all the time in front of the main altar there.
Challenges and Repairs
In 1399, the priest, John Bertone, was attacked while leading a service in the church. By 1400, the church was in bad shape and falling apart. A bishop named William of Wykeham used money from another church area to pay for repairs. But it seems this didn't fix everything, as the church was still in poor condition 80 years later.
In 1481, a man named John Awbrey borrowed money to help fix the church. He and his wife are buried in an old part of the church, which is now called the Lady Chapel. Sir John White, who was a very important person in London in the 1560s, is also buried there.
The church started keeping records of baptisms (christenings), marriages, and burials in 1571. These records are still used today! During the English Civil War in the 1640s, Aldershot village was set on fire by soldiers, but St Michael's church was lucky and survived.
Famous Connections
There's a local story about Nell Gwyne, a famous actress who was connected to King Charles II. The legend says that in 1678, she stopped near Aldershot and had a child who did not survive. The story claims the child was buried under a tree in the churchyard. It was even said that the King gave the church money every year because of this, but no one has ever found proof of this payment.
A famous lawyer named Charles Viner (who lived from 1678 to 1756) and his wife are buried in the churchyard. There's also a special memorial for them inside the church. A clock was put in the church tower in 1799. Around 1801, people were worried about "body snatchers" (people who would dig up bodies from graves), so special brick-arched graves were built in the churchyard to protect the burials.
Growth and Changes
In 1855, during the Crimean War, the British Army came to Aldershot. This made the town grow a lot, and St Michael's church became too small. Another church, Holy Trinity, was built closer to the Army Camp. From 1859 to 1912, St Michael's church was made bigger and improved. They added an extra section called an aisle, rebuilt parts of the main area (the nave), and put in a new organ.
Many people connected to Aldershot have had important events at St Michael's. For example, Edgar Sheldrake, a first-class cricketer, was baptised here in 1864. Alfred Toye, a brave soldier who won a Victoria Cross medal, got married here in 1918. The actor and comedian Arthur English also got married at the church in 1977, and his funeral service was held there in 1995.
In the early 1900s, St Michael's church helped start two other churches in Aldershot: St Augustine's and St Aidan's. St Aidan's has since closed and is now a house.
The Churchyard
The old churchyard is a special place. The land was given to the church in 1409. You enter it through a gate called a lychgate, which was given by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Finch in 1954. Long ago, in 1527, the church leaders talked about building a fence around the churchyard. This was to stop people from doing disrespectful things like dancing or talking loudly there.
Near the lychgate, there's a very old yew tree. In 1859, a guide to Aldershot said that "In its prime the yew was the admiration of the whole neighbourhood and people travelled miles to see it." This is also the tree where the legend says Nell Gwynne's child was buried.
Even though thousands of people have been buried in the churchyard since 1571, it doesn't look too crowded with memorials. Some graves from the 1800s are covered with special bricks. These bricks probably helped protect the graves from "Resurrectionists" or "body-snatchers," who were active at that time.
The north side of the churchyard was kept clear, and later the church building was made bigger into this area. However, in 1884, some land here was given for the Newcome family's burial ground. Also, when the British Army first arrived in the 1850s, four soldiers were buried here because the Army didn't have its own burial ground yet.
Structure of the Church
The church tower is built on large sarsen stones and local iron stone. During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the top part of the tower was rebuilt. It was part of a chain of beacons (like signal fires) used to warn people if the Spanish were going to invade. The tower clock was put in by the Revd. George West in 1810.
The church has a chancel (the area around the altar), a nave (the main part where people sit), a north aisle (a side section), and a modern south porch. When the British Army came to Aldershot in the 1850s, the church became too small for all the new people. So, it was made bigger in 1859. The nave was improved, and the north aisle was added in 1868. This means that only the tower, the chancel, and the Lady Chapel (which was added in 1380) are the oldest parts of the original church.
The main door of the very first church is now the door that leads into the tower. The area called the 'Lady Chapel' was actually the original church building. In 1912, a new nave, chancel, and north arcade (a row of arches) were added, designed by a famous architect named Sir Thomas Jackson.
Inside the chancel, there are memorials to the important White and Tichborne families. A memorial for Lady Ellen Tichborne was moved to its current spot when the church was made bigger. Another memorial for her sister, Lady Mary Tichborne, is still in its original place in the old chancel.
There's also a very nice brass memorial for Sir John White. It was probably made just before he passed away, as the date of his death isn't on it. He was a very important person in Aldershot. His will (a document saying what happens to his things after he dies) from 1573 says that a brass plate with his family symbols should be put on the wall near where he was buried. Sir John White was buried in the old chancel, beneath his special helmet and crest. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows that remember members of the Newcome family.
The Bells
The church has eight bells that were remade and rehung by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1960. The first bell was put in the tower in the late 1300s. More bells were added in 1611 and 1624. These two bells were probably given by Sir Walter Tichborne. His son, James, was born in 1611 and was a godchild of King James I, who even came to Aldershot for the christening! Sir Walter's wife, Mary, passed away in 1621, so the second bell might have been a memorial to her.
When the church was made bigger in 1911, the oldest bell was remade, and three more bells were added, making a total of six. After World War I, two smaller bells were given by soldiers from Aldershot Camp. They were given in memory of their friends who had died in the war, and these are known as the 'Soldier's Bells'.
Images for kids
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The church from the road
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The altar in St Michael's
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The font in St Michael's
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The Lady Chapel
