St Michael
Great Gidding
Cambridgeshire
TL 1083 13/50 28.1.58 GT GIDDING MAIN STREET(North West side)Parish Church of St Michael GII* Parish church.Mid C13 south doorway resited.Late C13 chancel.Tower early C14,late C14 belfry,C15 parapet and spire.Chancel arch and nave rebuilt C.1400 and late C15 north and south aisles and south porch.Restoration C.1870,south porch rebuilt and chancel restored.Tower and chancel arch rebuilt 1925.Walls of limestone and field stone rubble,Ketton and Barnack ashlar and dressings.Roofs of slates and lead.South elevation:Tower of four stages with moulded plinth and embattled parapet with grotesque faces and carved gargoyles,and frieze of quatrefoil panels
Architectural Features
tower surmounted by octagonal spire.Belfry windows each with two embattled transomed-lights and quatrefoil in two-centred head.Two tiers of spirelights each with two trefoiled-lights and quatrefoil in a gabled head.Clerestory with four windows of two cinquefoiled-lights with pierced spandrels in four-centred heads.Moulded parapet to nave and aisle with carved gargoyles.South aisle with three windows
mid C14 western window of three trefoiled-ogee-lights with reticulated tracery in a two-centred head
two eastern windows with three cinquefoil-lights in four-centred heads with moulded reveals.South doorway mid C13 with a two-centred head of two orders,the outer order with shafted jambs and moulded capitals with abaci continued as an impost.South porch rebuilt with original material with two-centred archway of two chamfered orders with a moulded label.Chancel with three windows,two original lancet windows similar to north wall and one with reticulated tracery similar to south aisle window.Interior:Nave arcade C.1400 of four bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders,circular piers and semi-circular responds with moulded capitals and bases.Tower arch two-centred of two chamfered orders,the outer order with semi-octagonal responds,moulded capitals and chamfered plinths.Chancel,north and south walls with arcades of two bays,each with two-centred arches of one stop-chamfered order.C13'low-side' window with doorway.Roofs:nave C.1500 of four bays with moulded and cambered tie beams curved and cusped braces,low king posts and moulded ridge and purlins
south aisle pent roof of five bays with braced tie beams,some reused C15
C17 timber one inscribed'1629 John Lamb Churchwarden'.Piscenae
in chancel with trefoiled head,moulded jambs and label,late C13
in north aisle with two-centred head and chamfered jambs C14
in south aisle with trefoiled-ogee-head C14.Communion rails, early C17 with three rails and two rows of balusters(qv Leighton Bromswold, Cambs).Small octagonal wooden panel with inscribed square'Sator,Arepo,Tinet,Opera, Rotas' with initials 'ER' and dated '1614'.For monuments and floor slabs see RCHM.