St Michael's Church, Bath facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Bath
St Michael's Church, Bath
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Open Evangelical
Website	http://www.stmichaelsbath.org.uk
History
Dedication	St. Michael
Administration
Parish	Bath, Somerset
Diocese	Bath and Wells
Province	Canterbury

St Michael's Church is a Church of England parish church located in the historic city of Bath, Somerset, England. It's a special place with a long history, serving the local community for hundreds of years.

What is St Michael's Church?

St Michael's Church stands between Broad Street and Walcot Street, right where they meet Northgate Street. Its tall south tower, also known as the West tower, is easy to spot against Bath's skyline. The church building you see today was designed by an architect named George Phillips Manners. Inside, it has a beautiful and famous Sweetland Organ.

The church is often called St Michael's Without. This name comes from its location: it was the first church you would find outside the old Bath city walls if you left through the North Gate. For a while, its parish was known as St Michael's with St Paul's.

In 2013, another church, Holy Trinity Church Queen's Square, closed down. Its parish then joined with St Michael's, making the St Michael's parish bigger. At that time, the church went back to its original name, St Michael's Without.

Today, the church is a busy place. From Monday to Saturday, it hosts a cafe where people can enjoy hot drinks, cakes, and snacks.

Who are the Church Leaders?

The main leader of a church is often called a rector or vicar. From 1997 until 2015, the Revd Martin Lloyd Williams was the rector of St Michael's. After he left, there was a period when the church didn't have a permanent leader, which is called an interregnum.

In 2016, the Revd Roger Driver became the new leader of St Michael's Church.

A Look Back in Time: The Church's History

The Medieval Church

The area where St Michael's Church stands has been home to a church since the Middle Ages. Being outside the North Gate, it was a common sight for wool merchants traveling along the London Road. This part of Bath, which later became known as Bath New Town, was originally called St. Michael's.

The Georgian Church

Before the current building, there was a Georgian church designed by J. Harvey. It was built between 1734 and 1742. This earlier church had an impressive dome and was about half the size of the Victorian church we see today. Many famous people have connections to this church. For example, the well-known actress Elizabeth Linley was baptized here in 1754.

The Victorian Church

The current St Michael's Church was built between 1835 and 1837. It was designed by G. P. Manners, who also designed other buildings in Bath. The church has a unique West tower that is tall and narrow. It features three stepped windows and strong buttresses, which are like supports on the outside walls. At the very top, there's an octagonal (eight-sided) open lantern with a spire.

Inside, the church is designed like a "hall-church." This means that the side aisles are the same height as the main part of the church, called the nave. It has thin, tall circular pillars with four attached shafts, and a beautiful plaster ceiling with ribbed arches. There's also a polygonal apse, which is a rounded or multi-sided end to the church, with tall blank arches.

The church also holds some valuable historical items, including:

• Two paintings believed to be by artists William Hoare and Rombinson.
• Silver church plate, such as a paten from 1720, a chalice, flagon, and three dishes from 1743, a cup from 1797, and two almsdishes from 1828.
• A monument to Samuel Emes, possibly created by the same artist who made the Coward monument in Bath Abbey.

St Michael's Church was given a special heritage listing of Grade II* in 1950. This means it's a particularly important building and needs to be protected.

Images for kids

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  St Michael's Church, Bath

See also

• List of ecclesiastical parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells