St Michael's Church, Heighington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Heighington |
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The tower of St Michael's
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| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Central |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Saint Michael the Archangel |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Herrington |
| Deanery | Darlington |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Auckland |
| Diocese | Diocese of Durham |
| Province | Province of York |
St Michael's Church is an old and important church in Heighington, County Durham, England. It belongs to the Church of England. This church is so special that it's called a grade I listed building. This means it's one of the most important historic buildings in the country.
A Look Back in Time
St Michael's Church is very old! Some parts, like the tower, the main hall (called the nave), and the area around the altar (called the chancel), were built even before the Normans arrived in England in 1066.
Around the years 1160 to 1170, the chancel was rebuilt. A third part was also added to the tower. In the 1200s, a small room for priests' robes (a vestry) was built. A special small chapel (a chantry chapel) from the 1200s was made bigger in the 1300s. It became the south aisle, which is like a side path in the church. In the 1400s, a low wall (a parapet) was added to the top of the tower.
Changes Over the Years
The church was changed a lot during the Victorian restoration period. This was a time in the 1800s when many old churches were repaired and updated. Work happened in the 1840s. Then, from 1872 to 1875, a famous architect named Ewan Christian helped with more changes.
On March 20, 1967, St Michael's Church was officially named a grade I listed building. This shows how important it is to England's history.
St Michael's Today
Today, St Michael's is part of the local church area (called a parish) of Herrington. It is part of the Diocese of Durham, which is a larger church area. St Michael's follows the Central way of doing things in the Church of England.
What's really cool is that St Michael's holds services together with the Methodist church. This means people from both churches can worship together!
