St Michael and All Angels Church, Bassett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Michael and All Angels |
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St Michael & All Angels Church, Bassett Avenue, Southampton
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 St. Michael and All Angels
Location in Southampton
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| 50°56′41″N 1°24′19″W / 50.94465°N 1.40531°W | |
| Location | Bassett, Southampton |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | nsab.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Dedication | St. Michael |
| Dedicated | 1897 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Listed building - Grade II |
| Designated | 14 December 1969 |
| Architect(s) | Edward Prioleau Warren |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 29 September 1897 |
| Completed | May 1910 |
| Construction cost | £4,139 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick with stone dressings |
| Administration | |
| Parish | North Stoneham and Bassett |
| Deanery | Southampton |
| Archdeaconry | Bournemouth |
| Diocese | Winchester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St. Michael and All Angels Church is an Anglican parish church located in Bassett, Southampton. It was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Contents
Where to Find the Church
The church is on the east side of Bassett Avenue in Southampton. This road is known for its beautiful tree-lined path leading into Southampton.
St. Michael and All Angels is part of the North Stoneham and Bassett parish. It has the largest group of worshippers among the three churches in this parish.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
The church's outside walls are made of plain red bricks. It has Monks Park stone details around the doors and windows. The roof is slated, and there is a small bell-turret on the west side.
Even though the outside looks simple, experts like Nikolaus Pevsner thought the inside design was "intriguing and distinguished." This is because of its special concrete vaulted roof, which is supported by stone ribs.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has a main area called a nave. This area has four wide, arched sections with ribbed ceilings. A screen called a rood-screen separates the nave from the chancel (the area near the altar). On top of this screen is a carving showing the Crucifixion of Jesus.
The large window at the east end of the church shows Christ with the archangels Michael and Gabriel. This was the first stained-glass window created by the artist Frank O. Salisbury.
The window at the west end was added in 1962. It was given by Hector Young, a former mayor of Southampton, to remember his wife Ethel. She died during the Southampton Blitz in September 1940. This window shows the Archangel Michael defeating Satan and was designed by Francis Skeat.
Church History
The Parish Area
The area around the church, called the parish of North Stoneham, has a long history. It was first mentioned in the early 800s. Back then, it was connected to Hyde Abbey in Winchester. The parish stretched from the River Itchen in the east to Chilworth and Bassett Green in the west.
After monasteries were closed in the 1540s, the land was bought by Thomas Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Later, in 1599, the Wriothesley family sold it to Sir Thomas Fleming. His family owned the right to choose the church's priest until 1997.
Until the late 1800s, Bassett was part of the North Stoneham parish. The priest of St. Nicolas' Church, North Stoneham served the entire area. Reverend Elliott Kenworthy-Browne, who was the priest from 1886 to 1912, often walked over 10 miles daily to visit his parishioners.
By the mid-1880s, Bassett had grown with many large homes. Even though it looked like a wealthy suburb, Reverend Kenworthy-Browne noted that many people were poor workers.
Today, the parish is called North Stoneham and Bassett. It includes North Stoneham, all of Bassett, part of Bassett Green, and part of Chilworth. It also covers Southampton Airport.
Building the Church
Before St. Michael's was built, church services were held in a small coach-house. Later, in 1888, a mission room opened on Winchester Road.
John Brown Willis Fleming of Stoneham Park left land on Bassett Avenue in his will for a new church. The church was designed by Edward Prioleau Warren. Violet Fleming laid the foundation stone on September 29, 1897.
The church was built in two stages because money ran out. Construction finished in May 1910. The total cost was £4,139. When it was completed, people thought it was an amazing example of church design, and visitors came from far away to see it.
In 1934, the church needed to be made bigger to add an assembly room. This room is now used as the choir vestry. In 1937, a new altar with oak panels was added.
The church was given a special "Grade B" status in 1962. In December 1969, this was changed to "Grade II listed," meaning it is an important historic building.
In 1980, work began to repair the roof and protect the brickwork from damp. This project cost £13,000.
In 2011, the old wooden church pews were removed. They were replaced with more flexible and comfortable chairs.
In October 2014, the church was put on the Heritage at Risk Register. This meant it needed urgent repairs. In March 2015, the church received a grant of £90,000 to fix its roof and rainwater systems. The repair work was completed in October 2016.
Church Leaders
The Reverend Sheena Williams is the current Rector of the parish. She began her role on February 3, 2017. Reverend Williams grew up in Scotland and studied law before becoming a priest in 2010.
She is helped by other clergy and lay ministers. Together, they serve the three churches in the Parish: St. Michael and All Angels, St. Nicolas, and All Saints.
Services and Music
St. Michael and All Angels Church has a style of worship that focuses on the Eucharist (Holy Communion). On Sundays, there are services at 8 AM (Holy Communion) and 10 AM (Sung Eucharist). Choral Evensong is held on the second and fourth Sundays at 6:30 PM.
There is also a midweek Eucharist service on Thursdays at 9:30 AM. A Taize Service, which is a quiet, reflective service with music, takes place on the last Friday of most months at 6:30 PM.
The Choir
St. Michael's has a long history of strong choral music. The main choir is the Senior Choir, which includes people of all ages. They sing traditional church music and lead the worship at the Sunday morning Eucharist. They also sing Choral Evensong twice a month.
The choir often sings at Winchester Cathedral and Chichester Cathedral when those cathedrals' own choirs are on holiday. Each August, the choir travels to a different cathedral for a longer period of singing.
The church also has a Junior Choir. This choir joins the Senior Choir for two services each month.
The Organ
The church organ was built in 1937 by Rushworth and Dreaper. It is a special type of organ with four sets of pipes that can create 25 different sounds. The pipes are hidden in two special rooms on the north side of the choir area.
The organ was repaired in 2011 by Griffiths & Co (Organ Builders) Ltd. You can find more details about the organ's sounds on the National Pipe Organ Register.
