St Michael's Church, Cockerham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Cockerham
St Michael's Church, Cockerham, from the northeast
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OS grid reference	SD 463,519
Location	Cockerham, Lancaster, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Michael, Cockerham
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Michael
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	2 May 1968
Architect(s)	Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Completed	1911
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Cockerham
Deanery	Lancaster
Archdeaconry	Lancaster and Morecambe
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Michael's Church is a historic church located southwest of the village of Cockerham in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church is part of the Church of England's diocese of Blackburn. It is also recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historical and architectural site.

History of St Michael's Church

The oldest part of St Michael's Church is its tower. This tower was built in the 16th century, which means it's over 500 years old! The main part of the church was rebuilt in 1814.

Later, between 1910 and 1911, the church was rebuilt again. This work was done by famous architects from Lancaster, Austin and Paley. The cost for this major rebuild was about £5,000 at the time.

Church Architecture and Design

The church building shows off some interesting architectural styles.

Outside the Church

The main part of the church is built from sandstone rubble, which are rough, broken stones. The tower is made of ashlar, which are finely cut stones. The roof is covered with slate tiles.

The church has a long main section called a nave. It also has a chancel, which is the area near the altar. There are side sections called aisles. On the south side, there's a transept (a part that sticks out like an arm of a cross) and a small room called a vestry.

The tower has three levels. It has strong supports called buttresses and a decorative top edge called a battlemented parapet. There's also a small stair turret on the south side of the tower.

You can see a round-arched doorway on the west side of the tower. There are also windows with three sections. The windows on the sides of the church have two or three sections. The large east window has four sections with beautiful stone patterns called Perpendicular tracery.

Inside the Church

Inside, the arches that separate the nave from the aisles are supported by eight-sided pillars called piers. These pillars do not have decorative tops, which are usually called capitals.

In the chancel, there's a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels. There's also a double sedilia, which are seats for the clergy.

One of the most beautiful features is the stained glass in the east window. It was made by a famous company called Morris & Co.. The window shows the Four Evangelists: Saint Matthew, Saint John, Saint Mark, and Saint Luke. The pictures of Saint Matthew and Saint John were designed by Ford Madox Brown. Saint Mark's picture was designed by Edward Burne-Jones, and Saint Luke's by William Morris.

The church also has a large pipe organ with two keyboards, called manuals. It was built around 1830.

Outside the Church Grounds

In the churchyard, you can find the base of an 18th-century sundial. This sundial base is also a listed building, recognized for its historical value.

The churchyard is also a special place of remembrance. It contains the war graves of two soldiers. One was a British soldier and the other was a Canadian soldier, both from World War I.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
• Listed buildings in Cockerham
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)