Sutton Bonington St Michael

Official Listing Description

SK 52 NW

4/106

13.10.66

G.V.

SUTTON BONINGTON

MAIN STREET
(east side)

Church of St. Michael

Grade II*

Parish church. C13, C14, C15, C19, restored 1857, 1871 and 1895. Ashlar, dressed coursed rubble and rock-face ashlar. Slate and lead roofs with decorative ridges. Coped gables with single ridge crosses to the east nave, the east chancel, and the south and north sides of the porch. Single stack to the east end of the north aisle. Buttressed. Tower with spire, nave, aisles, south porch, north organ chamber and chancel. Embattled angle buttressed tall C14 tower set on a chamfered plinth with moulded band over, of 3 stages with bands and topped with a C15 spire with 2 tiers of 4 lucarnes, the lower tier with 2 lights. A band extends under the embattlements with single C19 gargoyles to the centre of each side. West side of the tower with single restored C14 arched 2 light window with reticulated tracery. Above is a single clock face. There are 3 small rectangular stair lights. The north and south sides each have single rectangular lights. The south side with 4 small rectangular stair lights. The east side has a single rectangular light. 4 arched bell chamber openings each with 2 lights, cusped tracery, hood mould and label stops, some being human head. The west wall of the north aisle has a single restored C14 arched 3 light window with reticulated tracery, hood mould and sill band. The north wall with continuous sill band broken by the doorway and buttresses has a single restored arched early C14 2 light window with Y tracery and hood mould, to the left is a moulded arched doorway with hood mould and label stops and further left 2 restored C14 arched 2 light windows with reticulated tracery and hood moulds. The east wall has a single similar larger 4 light window with hood mould and sill band. Projecting under is the slate lean-to roof of a cellar. At the juncture of aisle and east nave is a single carved grotesque. Clerestory has 4 segmental pointed arched C15 windows each with 3 arched lights. The C19 chancel is set on a chamfered plinth, the north wall has a single central projection housing the organ chamber, either side are single C19 arched 2 light windows with cusped tracery, hood moulds and human head label stops. Further right and left are single pairs of small cusped openings. Sill bands. That from the left window extends to the east and south chancel. The east end buttresses are topped with single small finials. Single C19 arched 5 light window with cusped tracery, hood mould and human head label stops. The south wall has a single pair of small cusped openings, to the left is a single C19 arched 2 light window with cusped tracery, hood mould and human head label stops, a moulded arched doorway, a single similar lower C19 window with hoodmould and human head label stops and on the far left a single similar pair of openings. The east wall of the south aisle has a single restored C14 arched 3 light window with reticulated tracery, hood mould, human head label stops and sill band. The south wall has 2 similar 2 light C14 windows with hood moulds. Rainwater head here dated 1857. To the left is the gabled porch with double chamfered arched entrance with impost bands which form hood moulds over the single trefoil arched lights in each side wall. Inner double chamfered arched doorway with hood mould. to the left is a single similar 2 light C14 window and hood mould. The west wall has a single restored C14 window with 3 arched and cusped lights under a flat arch, hood mould and human head label stops. The clerestory corresponds to the north, rainwater head here dated 1871. Interior. Tall, narrow nave with 4 bay arcades. The C14 north arcade with octagonal columns and responds, the central column and west respond with foliate and the east respond with stiff leaf capitals, the remainder being moulded. Bases to columns with seats. The C13 south arcade with circular piers and moulded capitals, the west and east responds being corbels. Both sides with double chamfered arches with broach stops to some of the outer chamfers. Double chamfered tower arch, the inner order supported on corbels in turn supported on carved human heads. Over is a blocked arched opening. Double chamfered chancel arch, the inner order supported on octagonal responds with moulded capitals. South chancel wall with C19 decorative tripartite sedilia and trefoil arched piscina to the left. All with foliate decorated spandrels. Continuous sill/hood mould band to the south chancel with continuous sill band to the east and north chancel, being broken on the north side by the organ chamber. The south wall of the south aisle has an arched piscina. Evidence of former nave roof on east and west walls of nave. C14 octagonal font decorated with quatrefoil panels and 3 projecting ledges. C19 canopy, the remaining furniture C19. West nave wall has a brass plaque to "Every's daught. Dormer's wife", 1634. Tower has remains of a decoratively carved ashlar plaque.

Listing NGR: SK5042825428