St. Michael's Church, St. Albans
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St Michael's Church is a
Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...
in
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England. Much of the building is late 10th or early 11th century, making it the most significant surviving
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
building in the county. It is located near the centre of the site of Roman
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
to the west of the modern city.


History and architecture

St Michael's is built on the site of the Roman basilica of
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
. According to the 13th-century chronicler
Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...
, in AD 948 Abbot Wulsin (or Ulsinus) of St Alban's Abbey founded a church on each of the three main roads into the town of St Albans, namely St Michael's, St Peter's and St Stephen's, to serve
pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...
s coming to venerate the Abbey's shrine of
Saint Alban Saint Alban (; la, Albanus) is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recorded ...
. In fact Wulsin may have been Abbot in about 860–880, and the earliest parts of the present building are at least a century later. Nevertheless, the church is certainly from the late Anglo-Saxon era and there may have been an earlier building on the present site. In the late 10th or early 11th century a stone church was built on a simple plan consisting of a
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...
and
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
. The building includes much
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
material salvaged from the surrounding ruins of
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
, including
Roman brick Roman brick can refer either to a type of brick used in Ancient Roman architecture and spread by the Romans to the lands they conquered; or to a modern type inspired by the ancient prototypes. In both cases, it characteristically has longer and f ...
used in the splays of the nave windows. Early in the 12th century a north
aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...
and then a south aisle were added, linked with the nave by arcades of plain round-headed arches cut in the latter's north and south walls, leaving sections of Saxon wall as
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
. The arcades do not match: the earlier north arcade has three bays spaced irregularly; the later south arcade was built with four bays. The round-headed
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
window at the east end of the north aisle may also be 12th-century. In the 13th century a
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
with six Early English
lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...
s on each side was added to the nave to increase the amount of natural light, much of which had been lost when the aisles were added. Another Early English lancet window from this period survives in the north wall of the chancel. The south aisle proved to be unstable and was underbuilt in an attempt to stabilise it. At a later date, it is not known in which century, the south aisle was demolished. Slightly later in the 13th century the south chapel was added, and the easternmost arch of the south aisle became the entrance to the chapel. Three of the chapel's windows are round-headed 13th-century late Norman ones: two in the east wall and one in the south wall. The chapel is taller than the nave, so that on the south side of the clerestory the more easterly windows now look into the chapel instead of outside. The 13th century may also be the period when the church was given a west tower. In about 1340 the chancel and north aisle were rebuilt and the chancel arch was enlarged. The Decorated east window, an
ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinatio ...
-headed south window and matching tomb recess in the chancel, and one of the windows in the north aisle, all date from this time. In the 15th century three of the single lancets on the north side of the clerestory were replaced with two-light square-headed windows, two large windows were inserted in the south wall of the south chapel and one in the south wall of the chancel. Also 15th century are the
piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman ...
s in the chancel and south chapel, and the octagonal
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...
. The 13th-century clerestory was given a new roof on stone
corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
s late in the 15th century. Also in the 15th century, a wooden tympanum was inserted in the 14th-century chancel arch and a
Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...
was painted on it, spreading over the upper part of the east wall of the nave. A
rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...
was added to the chancel arch in the same period. It has since been removed, but stone stairs to it survive on the south side of the arch next to the south chapel. The tower is believed to have been remodelled in the late 15th or early 16th century. In its final form it had paired bell-openings, an
embattled A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
parapet and a polygonal stair-turret that was taller than the tower. A late
Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
west window of three lights was inserted in the west wall of the nave, probably early in the 16th century. In 1539 St Alban's Abbey was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Abbey had the right to hold three fairs in St Albans, one of which was on the
Nativity of St John the Baptist The Nativity of John the Baptist (or Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner, or colloquially Johnmas or St. John's Day (in German) Johannistag) is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist. It is observed ...
on 24 June. After the Dissolution, this fair was discontinued and replaced with one at
Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...
on 29 September, possibly in reference to St Michael's church. St Michael's present wooden
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
, tester and altar table are late 16th or early 17th century. Early in the 17th century the east wall of the south chapel may have been rebuilt. Between its two lancet windows is a circular one that may date from this time. The present roof of the south chapel may also be 17th century. St Michael's most significant 17th-century feature is the
monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
to
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
, Viscount St Alban, who died in 1626. It is in a round-arched recess inserted for the purpose in the north wall of the chancel. The monument is a life-sized sculpture of Bacon seated in a relaxed pose in an armchair. The name of the sculptor is unknown, but it may have been
Nicholas Stone Nicholas Stone (1586/87 – 24 August 1647) was an English sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I, and in 1626 to Charles I. During his career he was the mason responsible for not only the building of ...
. A copy of this statue, sculpted by
Henry Weekes Henry Weekes (14 January 1807 – 28 May 1877) was an English sculptor, best known for his portraiture. He was among the most successful British sculptors of the mid- Victorian period. Personal life Weekes was born at Canterbury, Kent, to Capo ...
, was commissioned by
William Whewell William Whewell ( ; 24 May 17946 March 1866) was an English polymath, scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian of science. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved dist ...
(Master of
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
between 1841 and 1866) and erected in the college chapel in 1845 to honour one of the college's most illustrious alumni. A west gallery was inserted in the nave, apparently late in the 17th century.
Box pew A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in chu ...
s were also added: it is not known when, but they were installed in numerous parish churches in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1866 the church was
restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...
under the direction of
George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
. He had the box pews and west gallery removed and added the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
south porch, which uses one of the 12th-century arches of the former south aisle. In 1896 or 1898 Edmund Beckett (1st Baron Grimthorpe) had the west end of the church remodelled to his own designs and at his own expense. He had the west tower demolished, which is how evidence of the old tower's possible 13th-century origins were discovered under its late Perpendicular external fabric. He replaced it with a northwest tower in a "fanciful" Gothic Revival interpretation of Early English Gothic. Beckett had the nave extended slightly westwards, demolishing its old west wall and late Perpendicular west window. He also had a vestry added on the site of the south aisle. In one of the Victorian-era restorations the 15th-century tympanum was taken down and the rest of the Doom painting was obliterated. The architect John C. Rogers directed further restoration work in 1934–35 and designed a second vestry that was added on the north side of the chancel in 1938. Rogers also wrote a book, ''The Parish Church of St. Michael, St. Albans – a Short Illustrated History'', which was published in 1965, reprinted in 1973 and revised in 1982.


Monuments

As well as the sculpture of Francis Bacon (see above), St Michael's has some notable
monumental brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved sepulchral memorial, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood. Made of hard latten or sheet brass, let into the paveme ...
es. In the south chapel is a 14th-century brass to John Pecock and his wife. There is a brass from 1380 that originally depicted a civilian and his wife with a floriated cross between them. The figure of the wife has been lost and only part of the cross survives. A brass at the east end of the nave shows a knight in armour of about 1400. There is also a brass inscription in memory of Henry Gape (died 1558) and his wife.


Bells

St Michael's tower has a
ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
of eight bells. Samuel Knight, who had
foundries A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
at
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and London, cast the third, fourth, fifth and sixth bells in 1739.
John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...
of
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
cast the seventh and
tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
bells for Beckett's new northwest tower in 1897, which was also the year of
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...
.
Gillett & Johnston Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a bel ...
of
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
cast the treble and second bells in 1953, the year of Elizabeth II's coronation. The name of the nearest
pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, The Six Bellsbr>
is therefore an historical anachronism.


Organ

In 1872, Henry Jones built a
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...
for St Michael's Church. In 1950,
Mander Organs Mander Organs Limited formerly N.P Mander Limited was an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the organ building industry, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with the refurbishment ...
under N. P. Mander built a new organ for St Michael's. In 1981 this was replaced with a new organ built by Peter Collins, though some pipes from the previous organ were retained and revoiced. A pair of oak organ cases from the 1950 organ were retained: they flank Grimthorpe's west window. They bear the inscription "In thanksgiving to Almighty God for the preservation of this church through a thousand years 948 - 1948" on the north case, and "This organ was enlarged and rebuilt in 1950 by the gifts of parishioners and the legacy of Kate Coulter" on the south. The current organ is in good condition and is used regularly. Disposition: Pedal- 30 Notes (South Case) 1. Subbass 16' 2. Octave 8' 3. Wide Octave 4' 4. Fagot 16' Great- 56 Notes, Tremulant (North Case) 5. Principal 8' 6. Stopt Diapason 8' 7. Octave 4' 8. Quint 2 2/3' 9. Gemshorn 2' 10. Tierce 1 3/5' 11. Mixture 19.22.26.29 (IV) 12. Trumpet 8' Swell- 56 Notes, Enclosed, Tremulant (North Case) 13. Rohr Flute 8' 14. Viol 8' (Starts at Tenor C) 15. Open Flute 4' 16. Principal 2' 17. Spitz Quint 1 1/3' 18. Schalmey 8' Couplers- (By Pedals) Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell to Great Other Details- Key Action: Tracker Blower: Electric Console: Attached, North Case Keys: Rosewood and Skunktail Sycamore


Heritage status

St Michael's has been a
Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
since 1950.
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
cites as the principal reasons for the listing: the extensive late Anglo-Saxon fabric, the phases of expansion in the
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
, the 15th-century nave roof, the tympanum with surviving part of the 15th-century Doom painting, the late Elizabethan or early Jacobean pulpit, and the Jacobean monument to
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
.


See also

* St Michael, Hertfordshire


References


Sources and further reading

* * *


External links


The Parish Church of St Michael, St Albans with St Mary, Childwick Green
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michaels Church Saint Albans 10th-century establishments in England Buildings and structures in St Albans Churches in Hertfordshire St Albans, St Michael Grade I listed churches in Hertfordshire History of St Albans Standing Anglo-Saxon churches Religious buildings and structures completed in 948 10th-century church buildings in England