St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich

Last updated

St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich
St Michael at Plea, Norwich - through lavender.jpg
St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich
St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich
52°37′49.08″N1°17′49.75″E / 52.6303000°N 1.2971528°E / 52.6303000; 1.2971528
OS grid reference TG 23235 08742
Location Norwich, Norfolk
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Website thechurchpianobar.co.uk
History
Dedication St Michael
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade I listed
Closed1971 (1971)

St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich is a Grade I listed redundant parish church in the Church of England in Norwich, situated on Redwell Street. [1]

Contents

History

The church is medieval, dating from the 15th century. [1]

One of few surviving painted screen panels in Norwich, painted c. 1420–1430 and depicting St Margaret, was originally held in St Michael-at-Plea and is now usually held at Norwich Cathedral. [2]

During the Reformation, the church spent £20 on "the new glazing of 17 windows," replacing previous designs that depicted "profane histories" as well as other old windows. [3] The house of Norwich sheriff Captain Thomas Ashwell stood next to the church in 1648, [4] when the house was looted during the Great Blow riot. [5]

The church was restored in 1887; a partition separating the chancel from the nave was removed, and new windows were inserted in the transepts. The box pews were replaced with chairs and the angels in the roof were gilded.[ citation needed ] The church purchased an organ dating from 1887 by Norman and Beard. [6]

Closure

In 1971, the church closed. [7] The church stood empty until it came under ownership of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust, allowing for its use as an antiques market with a café in its chancel. It became an Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge bookshop and café in 2004, [8] and later became Revelation, an independent Christian bookshop with a tearoom. [8] [9]

In 2024, the owners of TipsyJar, a cocktail bar on Redwell Street in the city, applied for an outdoor drinking area on the former church's grounds. This was opposed by some locals. [7] Separate plans to convert the church into a piano bar in 2025 faced similar opposition, [9] though Norwich City Council granted this second application for an alcohol licence to John Naylor, who stated it would be "a conversational, slightly cultured place, all-seated with a grand piano." [10] It will host up to 130 people, [11] and will be known as The Church, opening in 2026. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Church of St Michael at Plea (1051880)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Harper-Bill, Christopher, ed. (2005). Medieval East Anglia. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. p. 241. ISBN   978-1-84383-151-8.
  3. ↑ Whiting, Robert (18 March 2010). The Reformation of the English Parish Church. Cambridge University Press. p. 145. ISBN   9781139486668.
  4. ↑ Hopper, Andrew (9 June 2020). "The Civil War Comes to Norwich". Norfolk Record Society . Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Hopper, Andrew (20 March 2018). "'The Great Blow' and the Politics of Popular Royalism in Civil War Norwich*" . The English Historical Review . 133 (560): 32–64. doi:10.1093/ehr/cey070. ISSN   0013-8266.
  6. ↑ "NPOR [N06510]". National Pipe Organ Register . British Institute of Organ Studies . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  7. 1 2 Moseley, Paul (15 July 2024). "Local residents oppose Norwich cocktail bar's expansion plan". BBC News . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "St Michael at Plea". Norwich Historic Churches Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  9. 1 2 Moseley, Paul (2 June 2025). "Residents warn Norwich piano bar would hit wrong tone". BBC News . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Moseley, Paul (13 June 2025). "Bid for piano bar licence at Norwich church hits right note". BBC News . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Storey, Eleanor (11 July 2025). "Neighbouring Norwich churches set to become music venues". BBC News . Retrieved 31 October 2025.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Michael at Plea, Norwich at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.