Holy Michael Archangel

Introduction

Holy Michael Archangel in Aston is a Roman Catholic parish church of about 1882, possibly designed by James Trubshaw, and it incorporates fabric from an earlier church of 1847-49 designed by CF Hansom. The church is listed at Grade II, first listed on 03-Feb-2016.

History

The site was bought in 1855 by Revd. Canon Edward Huddlestone. The Hansom chapel was demolished in the 1880s and the present, smaller church was built to the north west of the moat. The small tower housing the sanctus bell, to the north east of the church, was added in 1899 according to the diocesan archives.

Architecture and furnishings

The font at the western end is octagonal with recessed panels carved in deep relief representing the Evangelists, the Pelican in her Piety, Agnus Dei and Holy initials. The stone altar has five panels to its front showing the crucifixion at centre, flanked by figures of St George and St Michael. Stained glass in the western window appears to be of mid-C19 date and shows a figure of St Michael flanked by St Peter and St Paul. The church is built of sandstone with a plain tile roof.

The church has an aisleless plan with a chancel, northern vestry and western gallery. The south-western flank has four bays to the nave, defined by buttresses with offsets. Windows on the south-western flank are arcuated triangles with a single lancet and a triple lancet. The chancel has a window of paired lancets.

The north-west gabled end has buttresses to the corners and three arcuated triangle lights to the gable above two lancets. The north-east flank has an arched doorway at right with a plank door. To the left of the doorway are two two-light windows with cusped heads to the lights and quatrefoils to the apex. The projecting gabled vestry has a chimney to its right flank and an arched priest's doorway to its left flank.

The vestry gable end has a three-light window with heavy hood mould and a quatrefoil to the gable. The later bell tower has a lancet window to the lower stage, with a door to its right flank. The south-east (ritual east) end has a window of three lights with cusped heads and with a circle to the tracery at the top containing three arcuated triangles with cusps. The roof is formed of common rafters, each with angle braces and long ashlar pieces.

The flooring is tiled with alternating red and black tiles to the nave and patterned encaustic tiles to the chancel. The chancel encaustic tiles include a memorial tile with the lettering 'E+H / RIP' for Edward Huddlestone, who died in 1871. The stone pulpit has a panelled front including the lettering 'IHC' and is approached by a staircase with a wrought iron balustrade. The altar and its ledge are notably deep, possibly indicating later adjustment or inclusion of earlier fabric.

The tabernacle has richly enamelled and engraved doors and is inscribed to its flanks with wording that predates the present building. The tabernacle's left flank reads 'HOC TABERNACULUM, / IN HONOREM / SANCTUTIMI SACRAMANT / DONO DEDIT.' The tabernacle's right flank reads 'JOANNA BILLINGTON / DE MANCHESTER / A.D. MDCCCXLIX.' (ie 1849, the year of the completion of Hansom's convent buildings).