Parish of the

Woodford Valley 

with 

Archers Gate

Vicar:

Rev'd Dr Mike Perry

 

01722 782 310

 

 

 

St Michael's Church, Wilsford

The Parish Church of St. Michael was built during the twelfth century being largely rebuilt 1852 by T. H. Wyatt for Giles Loder.  The church is built out of strap-pointed flint with limestone dressings, giving the external stonework its coarse texture.  The walls are plastered and floor flagged.  The Chancel floor is differentiated from the nave by heavier truss and clay fired tiles within the sanctuary.  The timber framed South Porch, was built by Weaver and added in 1869.  The Communion rail, choir stalls and pews are from the nineteenth century restoration but there are two probably seventeenth century plain pews at the rear of church.

The West Tower dates back to the twelfth century, with two lower stages without buttresses.  The upper stage was rebuilt during the nineteenth century restoration with a corbelled parapet, two light openings, two round headed windows and a pyramidal tiled roof.

The Font, is octagonal in shape with a limestone bowl on a short column, possibly seventeenth century but has been reset during the restoration. 

The Pulpit is panelled oak.

The Organ by J.W. Walker, built in 1858 in Gothic case.

The Nave roof consists of 3½ bays, with open timber trusses and principal rafters braced from hammer beams, and vertical studs above collars.  The Chancel truss of pierced oak is carried on timber wall shafts on stone corbels with a panelled angled ceiling over the east end.

The South Chancel Window contains a mixture of fourteenth century pieces with a small central fifteenth century crucifix.

There is an interesting range of Wall Monuments.  Dating from 1749 on the west wall, with the carved arms of George III and two hatchments, to Robert Duke, d.1749, and Robert Duke, son of last, d.1793 and a variety of modern 20th Century monuments for military personnel fallen in battle.  In The Chancel, a series of 6 cast and painted plaster panels of angels playing musical instruments, separate garlands over, and roundels above.  Below them they have half round panels with quotations from Keats' Odes.

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