St Michael's Church, Kirkby Malham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Kirkby Malham |
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| Church of St Michael the Archangel | |
St Michael's Church tower
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| OS grid reference | SD 894,610 |
| Location | Kirkby Malham, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Michael the Archangel, Kirkby Malham |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Michael the Archangel |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 20 February 1958 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Millstone grit |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Kirkby-in-Malhamdale |
| Deanery | Bowland and Ewecross |
| Archdeaconry | Craven |
| Diocese | Leeds |
| Province | York |
St Michael's Church is a very old and important church located in Kirkby Malham, a village in North Yorkshire, England. It's an active church, meaning people still go there for services. It belongs to the Anglican faith and is part of the Diocese of Leeds. This church is so special that it's officially protected as a Grade I listed building. This is the highest level of protection for historic buildings in England.
Contents
History of St Michael's Church
When was St Michael's Church built?
This church is incredibly old! Experts believe it was first built around the 7th or 9th century. That's over 1,000 years ago! However, the church isn't mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086.
Who owned the church?
By the year 1199, a place called West Dereham Abbey gained control over the church's advowson. This meant they had the right to choose the priest for St Michael's.
Rebuilding and restoration
The entire church was rebuilt in the 15th century, making it look much like it does today. Much later, between 1879 and 1881, the church was carefully repaired and updated. This work was done by famous architects from Lancaster, Paley and Austin. This type of repair is often called a Victorian restoration.
Architecture of St Michael's Church
What is the church made of?
St Michael's Church is built from a type of stone called millstone grit. Its roofs are made from lead, slate, and stone slate.
Outside the church
The church has a main area called the nave, which has a row of windows high up called a clerestory. On either side of the nave are aisles, which are like walkways. Both aisles have smaller chapels. There's also a south porch, a north hearse house (where a carriage for coffins was kept), and a chancel at the east end. A tall tower stands at the west end of the church.
The tower has two main sections and strong corner supports called buttresses. Near the top of the tower, you can see carved coat of arms from Fountains Abbey, a famous old monastery. More coats of arms are on another buttress. The tower also has a large window, a small decorative niche (a shallow alcove) on the south side, and clock faces. The top of the tower has a decorative wall called an embattled parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall.
The porch has two special consecration crosses carved into it. The south aisle has windows with three sections. The south chapel is known as the Lady Chapel. The north aisle has two-section windows and a blocked-up entrance. The north chapel is named after Saint John the Baptist. It has a large window with three sections. The windows in the clerestory (the upper part of the nave) also have multiple sections.
Inside the church
Inside the church, some of the large pillars (called piers) that support the arches (called arcades) have small, decorative niches with a three-leaf shape, known as a trefoil.
In the north aisle, you can see some old wooden box pews. These are like enclosed seating areas and date back to the 1600s and early 1700s.
The baptistry is where the font is located. This font is very old, from the 11th century! It's decorated with a zigzag pattern, called moulding, and sits on a newer base from the 1800s.
In the south aisle, there are two piscinae. These are small basins used for washing sacred vessels during church services.
The church used to have an organ, but it was removed in 1980. St Michael's has a ring of eight bells. Some of these bells are very old, cast in 1602 and 1617. Others were made in 1785 and 1897. The newest four bells were cast in 2002 by a company called Eijsbouts.
See also
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
