St. Michael's Church, Basingstoke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Michael's |
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| St Michael's Church, Basingstoke | |
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| Location | Basingstoke, Hampshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Tradition | Liberal central churchmanship |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Consecrated | c.1510 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Years built | 14th–15th century |
| Specifications | |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Winchester (since 28 July 1919) |
| Province | Canterbury |
St. Michael's Church is a historic Church of England church located in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It stands in the lower part of the town, close to the center, on Church Street. This church is very important historically and is recognized as a Grade I listed building. This means it is a building of exceptional interest and needs to be protected.
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History of St. Michael's
St. Michael's Church was mostly built in the 1500s. It was made using stone and flint, which are common building materials from that time. Like many old churches in Britain, it has been changed and added to many times over hundreds of years.
For example, the south porch of the church was built in 1539. Later, in 1920, a special chapel called the War Memorial Chapel was added. This chapel remembers people who served in wars.
The church has a unique shape. It has two main sections running side-by-side, called "double-aisled." There is also a tall tower at the west end. At the eastern end, there are two separate chapels next to the main altar area, which is called the chancel. The church also has a churchyard around it, but people stopped being buried there around 1860.
Early Construction and Changes
The oldest parts of the church that we can still see today are St. Stephen's Chapel and the vestry. These are in the southeast corner. Their outside walls are made of rough flint and rubble. They also have a separate, steeply sloped, red-tiled roof with a chimney that looks like it was added during the Victorian era.
During big repairs and changes inside the church in 1840 and 1841, workers found old foundations. They also noticed that many stones had parts of "ancient mouldings" on them. This suggests that this part of the church was built on top of an even older building, possibly using some of its original stones.
Looking at the church inside and out, it seems that the roof of St. Stephen's Chapel used to be a "lean-to" style. Inside the chapel, you can find a simple piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels. There is also a wooden triptych from around 1549. A triptych is a work of art made of three panels. This one is thought to be by an artist named Jan Sanders van Hemessen. It was given to the church in the 1870s by the vicar at the time, James Millard.
St. Michael's in Literature
The famous writer Thomas Hardy mentioned St. Michael's Church in his 1895 novel, Jude the Obscure. He described the church as looking "gaunt and unattractive."
See also
- Basingstoke Team Parish
