St Michael and All Angels Church, Barton Turf facts for kids
St Michael and All Angels is a historic church located in Barton Turf, a village in Norfolk, England. It is a Church of England parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church stands about one kilometer southwest of the village, surrounded by trees. It is especially famous for its old paintings and is considered a very important building, listed with Grade I status. You can even explore inside the church using this link: here.
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Church Architecture and Art
The church building was first built in a style called Perpendicular Gothic. This style was popular in England during the late Middle Ages. The church has a tall tower at its western end.
Famous Rood Screen Paintings
The church is most famous for its beautiful rood screen. A rood screen is a wooden or stone screen that separates the main part of the church (the nave) from the area around the altar (the chancel). The one at St Michael and All Angels has twelve painted panels. These paintings are very old, likely made between 1440 and 1450. They are considered to be of very high quality, similar to the famous screen at St. Helen's Church in Ranworth.
The artists who painted these panels might have been influenced by Flemish painting, which came from an area now known as Belgium and the Netherlands. The paintings show different figures, including:
- St. Apollonia
- St. Zita
- St. Barbara
- The nine choirs of angels
Some of the angel paintings, specifically those of the Dominions and the Seraphim, were damaged during the English Civil War. This happened because they included symbols that some people at the time did not approve of.
Other Important Paintings
In the south part of the church, called the Nave, there are more paintings. These were made a bit later, around 1490. They show important historical and religious figures:
- King Henry VI
- St. Edmund
- St. Edward the Confessor
- St. Olaf
The Church Organ
St Michael and All Angels also has a pipe organ. This musical instrument was built in 1835 by a person named T.C. Bates. It is a single-manual organ, which means it has one keyboard. It has five different sounds, called registers, which include:
- Open Diapason 8'
- Clarabella 8'
- Stopt Diapason Bass 8'
- Principal 4'
- Flute 4'
