St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch-on-Arrow

St Michael's, Michaelchurch-on-Arrow
St Michael's, Michaelchurch-on-Arrow Location in Powys
52°08′58″N3°06′05″W / 52.1495°N 3.1013°W / 52.1495; -3.1013
OS grid reference	SO 247 507
Location	Michaelchurch-on-Arrow, Gladestry, Powys
Country	Wales
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	active
Dedication	Saint Michael
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	21 September 1962
Architectural type	Church
Groundbreaking	13th century
Administration
Diocese	Hereford
Archdeaconry	Archdeaconry of Hereford
Deanery	Kington and Weobley
Parish	Brilley with Michaelchurch-on-Arrow

St Michael's Church is an active parish church in the village of Michaelchurch-on-Arrow, Gladestry, Powys, Wales. Despite its location in Wales, St Michael's is a member of the Church of England, administered through the parish of Brilley with Michaelchurch-on-Arrow in the Diocese of Hereford. Built in the 13th century, the church is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.

History

The Church of St Michael stands in a rectangular churchyard in the centre of the hamlet of Michaelchurch-on-Arrow, near Gladestry, close to the border with England and 8km from Kington, Herefordshire. ^[1] The church dates from the 13th century, although possibly with earlier origins, and was restored in 1869. ^{[2] [3]}

Although located in Wales, St Michael's is a church of the Church of England, administered through the parish of Brilley with Michaelchurch-on-Arrow in the Diocese of Hereford. ^[4]

Architecture and description

St Michael's consists of a nave, a chancel, a western tower and a south porch and a northern vestry. The building material is mainly local rubble, with slate roof. ^[1] The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) records the presence of a ciborium, pre-dating the Reformation, a survival that RCAHMW suggests may be unique in Wales. ^[2] The Cadw listing record reports that the four central bosses carry carved heads which have been identified as depicting an unknown Bishop of Hereford, Henry IV, his wife, Joan of Navarre and a grotesque, which are dated to around 1410. ^[3] Robert Scourfield and Richard Haslam, in their Powys volume in the Buildings of Wales series, note the stained glass by Mayer & Co. which they describe as having "typical, dramatic colours". ^[5] St Michael's is a Grade I listed building. ^[3]

References

1. "Radnorshire Churches Survey: Church of St Michael , Michaelchurch-on-Arrow". Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust . Retrieved 7 September 2024.
2. "St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch-On-Arrow (309148)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 7 September 2024.
3. Cadw. "Church of St Michael (Grade I) (8782)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
4. "St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch-on-Arrow". Gladestry Community Council. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
5. Scourfield & Haslam 2013, pp. 373–374.

Sources

• Scourfield, Robert; Haslam, Richard (2013). Powys: Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire. The Buildings of Wales. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-18508-9. OCLC   863678002.