More About St Michael and All Angels
It is thought that there was a church on the present site of St Michael’s before the Norman Conquest as the Domesday Book mentions a St Michael’s Church in the east of the ancient parish of Manchester. St Michael’s became a parish in its own right in 1281 when it established its independence from Manchester.
The present building dates from the fifteenth century and in 1420 it would have been the only stone building in Ashton. It would have been the centre of the community, used for worship, storing arms, fire fighting equipment, holding markets on wet days and village meetings. The interior dates from late Georgian and early Victorian times and indicates a period when the centre of worship was the sermon. The pulpit is in the centre of the nave and the pews face the pulpit even though this means that half the congregation have their backs to the altar. The pulpit is unusual in that it is a three decker pulpit. The current one dates from 1844.
The organ originally dates from 1845 and was built by Hill of London. It was enlarged and improved by Wordsworth of Leeds in 1889, then restored in 1894 and more recently in 1964.
The church registers date back to 1594 and with a few exceptions, notably during the Civil War, they are complete and continue to the present day.
There is a fine and well preserved collection of medieval stained glass. The earliest pieces are thought to date from about 1460 with the latest additions in 1517. The collection includes 18 panels illustrating the life of St Helena.
The present tower was built in 1886/88 and is 139 feet and 6 inches tall. It is probably the fourth tower in the church’s history. It contains a peal of 13 bells. More information about bells at St Michael’s can be found at: http://www.ashtonstm.co.uk/