Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Shalbourne

From the nave looking towards the chancel.

The earliest mention of the church in Shalbourne is when it was made over to the Abbey in 1208 by the Bishop of Sarum. It is a medieval building with 12th century features and a 15th century tower and was restored in 1873. The chancel houses an Elizabethan monument from 1562 of Sir Francis Choke, depicting him as a bearded man in armour with a canopy above the effigy. There is also a tablet in the south aisle to Jethro Tull quoting from his book ‘Horse-hoeing Husbandry’ - “ ‘Tis in some degree the interest of everyone who lives by bread that true principles be established in agriculture……”.

The nave and the north and south doorways are the oldest parts of the building dating from the 12th century. There are two 12th century lancet windows with remains of ancient glass. The chancel was rebuilt in 1300 and has an original priest’s doorway, and a pointed east window with four other windows. A sedile (seat) is formed by the sill of the east window and there is a piscine with a shelf beneath. The chancel, nave and transept are constructed of flint rubble walls with stone dressings and the roof has modern red clay tiles. The tower is faced with coursed squared stones with flintwork amongst them and rises in three stages with a parapet and pyramid red tiled roof.

In the 18th century there were galleries at the west end and high square pews in the nave. This changed in the 19th century as the church underwent extensive restoration in 1873 under the direction of Bodley, a famous church restorer of the period. . The galleries and fittings were removed and the south aisle was built on to the south side of the nave and transept chapel in order to increase the accommodation by 90 seats. A new south porch of oak on a stone base was added and the tower was modified.

The font is a plain octagonal stone bowl with an oak cover in a pyramid shape, perhaps once painted and dates from 1680. The church also houses the parish council chest dating from 1899 and this is used to house parish council documents.
Five bells date from 1664 and include the names of the church wardens from that year on the third and fourth. They are also inscribed to the makers ‘Henry Knight of Reading’, ‘Cor of Aldbourne’ and ‘Robert Wells of Aldbourne.’ A sixth bell was added in 1983 made by the Whitechapel foundry.
The plate includes a cup with cover paten of 1662, a large paten dated 1663, a modern chalice of 1872, and 2 more patens dated 1870 and 1873, originally used at Bagshot Chapel. Registers date from 1678 and the Churchwardens accounts begin in 1787.