St Michael's Church, Shirley

St Michael’s Church, Shirley is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England[3]:318 in Shirley, Derbyshire.

St Michael’s Church, Shirley
St Michael’s Church, Shirley
52°58′16.74″N 1°40′36.6″W
LocationShirley, Derbyshire
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
History
DedicationSt Michael
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade II* listed[1]
Administration
ParishShirley
DeaneryAshbourne[2]
ArchdeaconryDerby
DioceseDerby
ProvinceCanterbury

History

The church dates from the 14th century. The north aisle was rebuilt in 1842 by Henry Isaac Stevens and the pews were placed. It re-opened on 5 April 1842[4] when all present were struck with the accuracy, simplicity and devotional effect of the singing by the parishioners of Shirley and Longford, who had been instructed for only a few months on the Wilhelm system, thereby proving its applicability to the improvement of congregational psalmody.[5]

The foundation stone for the new tower of the church was laid on 8 September 1860 by Francis Wright of Osmaston Manor[6] The designs were by Henry Isaac Stevens of Derby and the contractor was J.W. Thompson of Exeter Street, Derby.

On 27 January 1861, a number of the children in the church were overcome by fumes from the heating flue that passed under the floor.[7] Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with

Organ

A pipe organ was built by George Holdich and opened on 19 April 1857.[8] A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[9]

Bells

The church tower contains 3 bells, one dating from ca. 1560 by Ralph II Heathcote, and two from 1688 by William Noone.[10]

References
  1. Historic England, "Church of St Michael (1109692)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 January 2017
  2. "St Michael, Shirley". A Church Near You. The Church of England. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth (1979). The Buildings of England. Derbyshire. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 0140710086.
  4. "Re-opening of Shirley Church". Derbyshire Courier. England. 2 April 1842. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Re-opening of Shirley Church". Derbyshire Courier. England. 13 April 1842. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Shirley". Derby Mercury. England. 12 September 1860. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Singular Occurrence in Church". Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald. England. 2 February 1861. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Shirley". Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal. England. 1 May 1857. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "NPOR N00488". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  10. "Shirley, Derbys. S Michael". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Dovemaster. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.