St Michael's Church, Upton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Upton
St Michael's Church, Upton, from the northeast
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OS grid reference	NZ 274 513
Location	Upton, Northamptonshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint Michael
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	3 May 1968
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	1893
Specifications
Materials	Limestone, lead roofs

St Michael's Church is an old Anglican church in Upton, England. Upton used to be a small village but is now part of the town of Northampton. This church is no longer used for regular services, which is why it's called a "redundant" church.

St Michael's Church is a very important historical building. It is listed as a Grade I building, meaning it has special architectural or historical interest. The Churches Conservation Trust now looks after the church. You can find it next to the A45 road, near the old Upton Hall.

The Church's Story: How Old Is It?

St Michael's Church started as a private chapel. It was built for the local lord of the manor, who was the main landowner in the area. Experts believe the church was built between 1158 and 1189.

Over the years, the church changed quite a bit. New parts were added between the 13th and 15th centuries. For example, the tower was built in the 14th century, and a porch was added in 1594. The church was also "restored" or repaired between 1892 and 1893 by an architect named M. H. Holding.

The church stopped being used for regular worship on January 1, 1981. Then, in 1988, the Churches Conservation Trust took over its care.

What Does the Church Look Like?

Outside the Church: Materials and Design

The church is built from limestone rocks that are laid in rows. It also has special stone decorations and lead roofs. The church has a main area called a nave, a south porch, a chancel (the area near the altar), and a tower at the west end.

The tower has openings for bells and a battlemented top, which looks like the top of a castle wall. It has a pointy, pyramid-shaped roof with a decoration called a finial and a metal weathervane. On the west side of the tower, there's a small stair turret and an octagonal clock face.

The walls of the nave and chancel have a simple top edge. The east window in the chancel has three sections and fancy stone patterns. On the north wall, there's a small, narrow window and a larger window added in 1892. On the south side of the chancel, there's a round-headed door for the priest and two more windows.

Both the north and south walls of the nave have old, round-headed doorways from the Norman period. There are also other windows, including some with two sections and small, four-leaf clover shaped windows on the porch roof. The porch has an arched doorway from the Tudor period. You can also see a blank shield on the porch with the date 1592 and some initials.

You can find old sundials, called "mass dials," on the church walls and in the porch. These were used to tell time in the past.

Inside the Church: Features and History

Inside, the nave and chancel are one open space. The reredos (a screen behind the altar), choir stalls, desks, and pulpit (where the preacher stands) are all made from a special wood called Riga oak. They were designed in 1899.

The church has a wooden chest from the 1600s. In the room where the priest gets ready, called the vestry, there's an old communion table from the 1600s. There are also special spaces in the walls called aumbries, which were used to store sacred items.

The colorful stained glass in the east window was made in 1870. You can also see four hatchments on the walls. These are painted boards that show a family's coat of arms, often displayed after someone important in the family died.

The church has many tombs and memorials, especially for the Samwell family. One memorial is for Sir Thomas Samwell, 2nd Baronet, who died in 1757. There's also a tomb with stone figures of Richard Knightley, who died in 1537, and his wife. Another memorial is for James Harrington, who wrote a famous book called The Commonwealth of Oceana. He died in 1677 and is buried in St Margaret's, Westminster.

Churchyard and Surroundings

The churchyard has many old graves. One headstone from 1672 is also a listed building, meaning it's historically important. Around the churchyard, you can see mounds of earth. These are the remains of a deserted medieval village, which means a village that was once there but is now gone.

The Church Today: What's Happening Now?

St Michael's Church was a smaller church that helped out St Peter's Church, Northampton until 1966. It stopped having regular services in 1980.

A group of local people called the "Friends of St Michael's" help take care of the churchyard. Special services are still held in the church a few times a year. Quinton House School, which is now in Upton Hall, also helps look after the church and holds services there for its students.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands
• List of churches in Northampton