St Michael

At the west end of the church, there is a wide gabled porch with carved stone cross and double wooden doors with hood mould and carved stops.

1300, incorporated into the later church from its predecessor and indicating the presence of a formerly narrower nave.

The south arcade has plain octagonal piers and carved corbel heads at the rear, slightly altered when the tower was built necessitating the construction of the large buttress which projects out into the nave.

The chancel arch is also C19 but with re-sited Norman diaper work above and the chancel arcades are higher and more delicate having octagonal piers containing eight keeled shafts within cusped-head panels and angels at the arcade springing level

the capitals are richly carved with stylized foliage of varying types

All woodwork within the church including the full compliment of benches and the upper part of the stone pulpit dates from the C19, and of particular note are two parclose screens and twenty-two choir stalls decorated with carved foliage installed in 1863 and carved by local craftsmen.

above this door there is a carving of a pair of shears with a lock above, possibly a re-used grave cover.

The lowest chamber of the tower incorporates grotesque carvings on its ceiling's supporting piers and a stone spiral stair with worn treads gives access to a first floor ringing room and then to the third stage belfry

the three bells with their stocks and wheels remain in situ and the two smallest are thought to be medieval while the larger bell was recast in 1764.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS: the modernist font of blue Kilkenny limestone is by David Edwick of Hexham.

NU1813 : Alnwick, St. Michael's Church: Font bowl

© Michael Garlick

The stained glass, with the exception of C15 fragments including a depiction of a pelican in the north aisle west window, is all of C19 date and contains what is described in Pevsner as 'an uncommonly complete and enlightening survey of C19 glass'

Sculptures and monuments within the church include late C15 statues of Henry VI

a martyr saint, early to mid C14 effigies of a knight (with carved weeper in the form of a monk) and lady under projecting crocketed canopies and a later C14 effigy of a clerk.

In addition there are various tablets including one of 1737 with an etched portrait on a bronze roundel by T King of Bath and another by Dunn of Alnwick and several C17 and C18 ledger stones within the chancel.

A large Flemish chest of early C14 date decorated with foliage and dragons and a hunting scene is of the very highest quality.

20 C12 to C14 cross slabs, some with unusual emblems.