St Michael and All Angels, Middlewich Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael and All Angels Church, Middlewich
St Michael and All Angels Church, Middlewich, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SJ 703 662
Location	Middlewich, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Michael and All Angels, Middlewich
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	St Michael and All Angels
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	5 December 1986
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Perpendicular
Specifications
Materials	Red sandstone
Administration
Deanery	Middlewich
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St. Michael and All Angels Church is a special old church in the town of Middlewich, Cheshire, England. It's the main church for the area, also known as the parish church. You can find it where two main roads, the A54 and A533, meet. This church is so important that it's listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a very important historic building.

The church is still active today. It's an Anglican church, which is part of the Church of England. It belongs to the diocese of Chester. In 1947, an expert on buildings, Raymond Richards, said the church was "mellow and dignified," meaning it looked old, calm, and impressive.

History of the Church
Church Design and Look
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Outside the Church Grounds
Images for kids
See also

History of the Church

Some parts of St. Michael and All Angels Church are very old, dating back to the 1100s! For example, the bottom part of the tower or a narrow arch inside might be from that time. Most of the church you see today was built much later, between about 1480 and 1520. During this time, new windows were added, and a special upper level with windows, called a clerestory, was built in the main part of the church (the nave). A chapel for the Virgin Mary, called the Lady chapel, was also added.

Later, in the 1500s, another chapel called the Kinderton chapel was built. The church faced some tough times during the English Civil War in the 1600s. It was damaged, especially during a battle in Middlewich in 1643. Soldiers called Cavaliers even used it as a safe place.

Over the years, the church has been repaired and updated many times. In 1801, some restoration work was done. Then, in the mid-1800s, a big project took place. The north side of the church and the Kinderton chapel were rebuilt. During this time, a white paint (called whitewash) was removed from the inside walls. This revealed the beautiful natural sandstone that you can see today.

Church Design and Look

Outside the Church

The church is built from red sandstone and mostly follows a style called Perpendicular. This style was popular in England from the late 1300s to the early 1500s. It's known for its tall, thin windows and detailed stone carvings.

The church has a tower on its northwest side. The main part of the church, the nave, has four sections (called bays) and a clerestory (the upper level with windows). On either side of the nave are wide side sections called aisles. At the front, there's a two-section chancel (the area near the altar) and a porch on the south side. The Kinderton chapel is at the east end of the north aisle, and another chapel (which used to be the Lady chapel) is at the east end of the south aisle.

Inside the Church

The wooden roof over the chancel was first built in 1621. It was replaced in 1951 with a new one that looks just like the original. The Kinderton Chapel is now used as the rector's office, called a vestry. Inside this chapel, you can find the oldest memorial in the church: a special brass plate from 1591. It remembers Elizabeth Venables, who was the wife of Baron Kinderton.

There's also an old wooden screen with carvings of the Venables family's coat of arms. This screen used to be at the entrance to the Kinderton chapel, but now it's inside the tower.

The church has a large organ, which was first built in 1908 and then updated in 1964. It also has a set of eight bells! Three of these bells were made way back in 1711. One bell was made in 1841, and the other four were made in 1897. Imagine the history these bells have seen!

The church also keeps very old records. The parish register, which lists births, marriages, and deaths, starts from 1604. The accounts from the church leaders (called churchwardens) go back to 1636.

Outside the Church Grounds

In the churchyard, there is an old sundial. It probably dates from the late 1700s. It has a decorative stone stand on a brick base. The copper dial, which tells the time from the sun, has a date that is hard to read, and the pointer (called a gnomon) is broken. This sundial is also a listed building, showing its historical importance.