Description

SJ 3812-3912 ALBERBURY WITH CARDESTON
CARDESTON C.P.
15/41 Church of St Michael
-

- II

Parish church. Dated 1749, incorporating probably C12 fragments, remodelled
and west tower and link added in 1844 (datestone), and restored and vestry
added in 1905. Uncoursed Alberbury breccia with red and grey sandstone
ashlar dressing; plain tile roofs. 4-bay nave, one-bay chancel with north
vestry, and short link block to west tower. 1844 remodelling on a free
Perpendicular style. Tower: 3 stages. Square lower stage and middle
stage with splays to octagonal belfry. Chamfered plinth, diagonal buttreses
to lower stage with chamfered offsets, moulded string course, chamfered
string course to battlemented parapet, and pyramidal cap with weathervane.
4-centred arched belfry openings in cardinal faces, each with 2 ogee
cinquefoil-headed lights, panelled tracery, chamfered reveals, and returned
hoodmoulds; middle stage has gabled lucarnes with 4-centred arched windows;
first stage with pairs of boarded doors to south and west, each with
deeply moulded 4-centred arches and returned hoodmoulds, and 4-centred
arched north window with chamfered reveals; shield above south door dated
1844. Short narrow link block to nave with small 4-centred chamfered
arched windows to north and south. Nave: chamfered plinth to south and
plain plinth to north, moulded eaves cornice to south and dentil brick
eaves cornice to north, chamfered coped parapeted gable ends with moulded
keelers, and external square stack to north-east. 4-centred arched windows
to south with 2 ogee cinquefoil-headed lights, panelled tracery, chamfered
reveals, and returned hoodmould; single ogee cinquefoil-headed window to
north-east. C18 datestone in west gable [illegible at time of survey
(June 1985)]. Chancel: plinth, chamfered-coped parapeted gable end with
cross at apex. One-light window to south with ogee cinquefoil head and
chamfered reveals; 4-centred arched east window with 3 cinquefoil-headed
lights, panelled tracery, moulded cill, chamfered reveals, and returned
hoodmould (fragment of carved red sandstone tracery in wall to right).
Vestry: parapeted gable to front and stack with moulded cornice; window
with 2 ogee-headed lights and boarded crypt doorway to left with chamfered
reveals; nail-studded boarded door in right-hand return front with strap
hinges and chamfered reveals. Interior: C19 four-bay nave roof with
billet-decorated frieze and tie-beams, reused C18 king posts, and single
purlins (planted timber on western gable end); waggon roof in chancel dating
from 1905: double-chamfered chancel arch of c.1905 springing from corbels;
east window with chamfered rear arch and moulded mullions; south window
with probably C12 roll moulded rear-arch. Fittings include: west gallery
incorporating beam dated: "16 RT 78" with ovolo moulding and ogee stops,
C19 chamfered end posts and brackets, moulded cornice, balustrade, C17
staircase with square newel posts, and C17 door beneath with H-pattern
hinges and baluster in opening to left; possibly C17 stone font in vestibule
with octagonal base and bowl, and cover dated 1926; C17 communion table
and pair of chairs; parish chest in vestibule dated 1703; altar rails
and lectern of 1879; screen and pulpit of 1905; choir stalls of 1935;
the barrel organ of 1850 by Theodore C. Bates of Ludgate Hill said to be
kept in the church was not evident at time of survey (June 1985); painting:
C19 mural on north wall depicting St. John the Baptist meeting Christ on
the banks of the Jordan; glass: mostly diamond-leaded; stained glass
in east window of 1912. A series of drawings and watercolours show
the church after the C18 and 1849 rebuildings, and before the 1905
restoration showing the former round chancel arch. Cardeston church is
first recorded in 1276; the 1844 alterations and additions were largely
financed by Sir Balwin Leighton, lord of the manor and patron of the
living. V.C.H, Vol VIII, pp. 219-21; B.O.E., p. 93; D. H. S. Cranage,
An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, part 6, p. 524;
Church Guide to St Michael's Church, Cardeston.

Listing NGR: SJ3957512307

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26306852

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)