A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE INSIDE OF ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH
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Welcome to the virtual tour of the inside of St. Michael's church. You can either enjoy the tour from the comfort of your own home or, if you prefer, access it on your phone whilst in church through the QR code at the back of church. The tour consists of four stations - one near the font at the back of church; one in the nave; one in the chancel and one at the high altar. which can be accessed from the buttons below. These locations are shown in the plan below, together with the locations of the other main areas within the church. Nearly all of the photos on this tour were taken by Maureen Brand, and her help in assembling the material for this tour is gratefully acknowledged.
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St Michael’s church has changed considerably over the years since it was first recorded in the twelfth century, which is of course only to be expected. What we see today is amalgam of features from different ages that have survived the turbulent times of the Reformation and the Civil War, and the activities of eighteenth and nineteenth century restorers. In this tour, we only make passing reference to the history of the church and concentrate on what we see there now. But we need to remember that the church would have looked very different in the past. As an example of this, the photographs below show the views from similar but not identical positions just inside the porch in the present day and in 1840. The latter (from the William Salt Library) shows an array of box pews and the double deck pulpit and reading desk can be seen in the background that makes the present affair look decidedly modest. A much more detailed history of the church and its parish, its clergy and its laity, can be found on another web site "St. Michael on Greenhill - a history"
Current view of the nave and the aisles from the porch
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1841 view of the nave and the aisles from the porch (copyright William Salt Library, reproduced with permission of theTrustees)
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