Cwm Head: St Michael
Overview
Grid reference: SO 423 886
Constructed in a neo-Norman style in 1842-44 by HJ Whitling of Shrewsbury at a cost of £750. It underwent further alteration in the late C19, as contemporary photographs show earlier furnishings and murals, now lost. The windows were replaced in 2012.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
West porch, nave, apsidal chancel, and tower (with vestry in lower storey).
Description of Archaeology and History
The site has low archaeological potential as it has only been a church since the 1840s. There are no burials.
The village was near the Roman road from Deva (Chester) via Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter) to Isca (Caerleon), later known as Watling Street. Neighbouring villages received their names in the Anglo-Saxon period and there are local populations at Domesday. Holy Trinity, Wistanstow, the parish church, named for a Saxon martyr, is largely C12.
The area was politically significant in the Middle Ages as a frontier with Wales, dominated by Marcher Lords. Offa’s Dyke runs near the area, and there are several historic castles – at Clun, Ludlow and Stokesay.
The area consisted largely of open field land until the C17, before enclosure, and with much heavily wooded land used for pannage. Sheep husbandry was an important part of the local economy, and cattle and horses were also raised locally. The pastoral economy seems to have been increasingly important into the C17 and C18, as arable lands were located on steep hillsides and hard to cultivate.
The historic development of Cwm Head is obscure. There is a listed school house of the late C18 nearby (‘The Round House’) and a listed cottage of c. 1700 at Little Hamperley, but little other material indications of its development.
The church was built in 1842-44 by Henry John Whitling (fl. 1837-46) of Shrewsbury, formerly of London, at a cost of £750. Letters survive between Whitling and the architects John Carline (1761 – 1835) of Shrewsbury and Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787 - 1847) of London, who acted as consultants. An ICBS grant was rejected, but Whitling misinformed the incumbent that his plans had been approved and he had to flee the country in 1844 for ‘pecuniary reasons’. Nevertheless, the church was built, presumably by that date. Whittling designed several other churches (Haggerston, St. Mary (1838); St John The Evangelist, Walmley (1843)) and public buildings, including workhouses and guildhalls, both locally and in London.
An indication of an early, probably original, furnishing scheme can be found in an undated black and white photograph in the vestry. It shows different pews and pulpit, and a timber beam in the chancel arch. A painted inscription above the chancel arch that reads “This is none other than the House of God, this is the Gate of Heaven”. The pews are very plain but the pulpit and beam are richly carved.
Malcolm Saville wrote the first Lone Pine story at Cwm Head House in the early 1940s after his family was evacuated to the village. He and his family used to attend the church.
There are mature trees and bushes within the churchyard. No known preservation orders.
Exterior Description
The church consists of W porch, nave, chancel, and tower, with a vestry in the lower storey, constructed in large blocks of stone laid in irregular courses and with pointing almost flush to the wall plane.
The unbuttressed west porch has a pitched roof, round-headed door and two rounded-headed windows.
The nave is unaisled, with three clasping buttresses to the north and south, two to the west. The western gable end is pierced by a circular window above the ridge of the porch roof. It has a slate roof. It has round headed windows to N and S, with glazing replaced in 2012.
The chancel terminates in an apse, with round-headed windows separated about pilasters and framed by a string course at sill level and a projecting band carried on corbels at the head of the wall. There is a lateral stone ridge marking the separation of nave and chancel, with a cross above.
The tower is of two stages, projecting from the south side of the chancel, and is charmingly asymmetrical. The tower has a round-headed window in the south wall of the lower stage. The upper stage has two round-headed bell openings in each face below a projecting cornice carried on small corbels. It is topped with a relatively squat broach spire.
Building Fabric and Features
Porch
19th century west
Nave
19th century
Chancel
19th century apsidal
Tower (component)
19th century
Vestry
19th century in base of tower
Building Materials
Ashlar
19th century
Slate
19th century roof
Painted Plaster
19th century interior
Timber
19th century internal roof
Tile
19th century interior floor
Interior
Interior Description
The nave is unaisled, with a king post roof. The latter has two large tie-beams carried on curved braces and with diagonal struts. The major and minor rafters are all painted black to contrast with the white plaster between.
The windows all have round heads and triangular leading. The church is lit by electric lights hanging from the tie beams with modern shades and heated by heat lamps.
The floor is carpeted, with black and white tiles at the east end.
There is a plain, round-headed chancel arch in a Romanesque style. The chancel is apsidal with five windows in the same style as those in the nave. It is panelled at dado level, with an attractive tiled floor.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century Simple oak frame table.
Lectern
19th century Plain C19 gothic lectern of good craftsmanship, given in memory of William La Touche, 1926.
Pulpit
20th century Very simple rectangular platform with pierced balustrade and pillars with chamfered edges. Part of a set with the choir stall frontals.
Font (component)
19th century Octagonal stone font with simple mouldings and C20 cover.
Pew (component)
19th century Plain pews in the nave and chancel.
Stall
20th century Choir stalls in memory of Edwin Hotchkiss (1931) and part of a set with the pulpit.
Rail
20th century Very plain, same type as pulpit and choir stalls.
Organ (component)
20th century Given in memory of Edwin Hotchkiss, 1931, made by the Estey Organ Co. of Battlebro.
Plaque (component)
20th century Memorial plaques.
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
From 1538 kept in the churchwarden's house.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SO 423 886
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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