St Michael's Church, Beetham

The church is constructed in rubble, mainly limestone, with sandstone dressings. It is roofed in lead. The plan is rectangular, incorporating a nave and chancel with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a north vestry and a south chapel. The church also has a south porch, and a west tower in two stages. The lower stage of the tower contains a west doorway dating from the 14th century, above which is a two-light window. The upper stage is slightly corbelled-out and contains three-light bell openings. At the top is a battlemented parapet with crocketted pinnacles and a 20th-century weathervane. At the east end of the church, the chancel has a 19th-century five-light window, and both aisles contain a 15th-century three-light window. At the west end is a 15th-century three-light window to the left of the tower, and a late 14th-century two-light window to the right. On the south side of the church is a gabled porch, and two- or three-light windows. On the north side is a doorway and five 15th-century three-light windows.[2] All the windows are in Perpendicular style.[3]

The south arcade is in Norman style with cylindrical piers and round arches. The north arcade dates from the 15th century, with octagonal piers and pointed arches. The octagonal font cover dates from 1636. Most of the other furnishings date from the 19th and 20th centuries. The south window in the southeast chapel contains fragments of medieval and 17th-century stained glass. These were re-set in the 1870s by Frederick Burrow, who also worked on other windows. The east window dates from 1881 and is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Some of the windows in the nave were designed by Shrigley and Hunt. The oldest monument is in the southeast chapel, a tomb with effigies dating from about 1490, which was damaged in 1647.[3]