St Mary's Church, Micheldever

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox church

| name = Church of St Mary

| fullname =

| color =

| image = St Mary, Micheldever - geograph.org.uk - 1503922.jpg

| imagesize = 240

| caption =

| landscape =

| location = Micheldever, Hampshire

| osgraw = SU 513 391

| coordinates = {{coord|51|8|56.8|N|1|16|6.1|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}

| dedication = Saint Mary the Virgin

| denomination = Church of England

| diocese = Diocese of Winchester

| deanery =

| parish =

| division =

| subdivision =

| founded_date =

| founder =

| architect =

| style =

| heritage designation = Grade II*

| designated date = 5 December 1955

| bells = 6

| completed date =

| dedicated_date =

| country = United Kingdom

| phone =

| website = {{url|https://stmarysmicheldever.co.uk/}}

}}

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in Micheldever, Hampshire, England. It is in the Diocese of Winchester.[https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/18366/ "St Mary the Virgin, Micheldever"] A church near you. Retrieved 11 December 2020. The building, which is Grade II* listed,{{NHLE|num=1095267 |desc=Church of St Mary|accessdate= 11 December 2020}} is unusual for its octagonal nave.

Description

The oldest parts of the church, the west bay of the nave next to the tower, date from the 13th century. The tower was built in the mid 16th century.[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol3/pp390-394 'The parish of Micheldever', in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3, ed. William Page (London, 1908), pp. 390-394] British History Online. Retrieved 12 December 2020.

=Nave=

The brick-built octagonal nave, designed by George Dance the Younger, was built in 1808; it was commissioned by Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, who acquired the manor of Micheldever in 1801. It was based on Dance's design for the Church of St Bartholomew the Less in London. Nicholas Pevsner, in his Architectural Guide for Winchester and North Hampshire, described the exterior of the church as "arresting, a shockingly odd and nakedly unadorned composition of three separate parts, not a little strange in its rural setting".[https://stmarysmicheldever.co.uk/about/ "About"] Micheldever: St Mary's Church. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

=Chancel=

The chancel and pointed chancel arch date from the 1880s. There are monuments to members of the Baring family in the chancel; the monument to Harriet Baring (died 1804), wife of Sir Francis, was created by John Flaxman and erected in 1806.[http://www.micheldevervillage.org.uk/archive_village_history.html "Micheldever Village History"] Micheldever, Hampshire. Retrieved 13 December 2020.

=Memorials=

File:Micheldever - Interior of St Mary the Virgin - geograph.org.uk - 1423048.jpg

There is a plaque commemorating Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway (1648–1720) on the south wall of the tower. He died nearby in East Stratton and was buried in the churchyard, but it is not known where. There is a plaque in memory of Vice Admiral Sir Norman Denning (1904–1979) on the south wall; he was a churchwarden here and is buried in the churchyard.

=Bells=

There are six bells in the tower. Five date from 1703; in 1903 three of these were recast, and a sixth bell was added.

References

{{Commons category|St Mary the Virgin's church, Micheldever}}

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Micheldever, St Mary's Church}}

Category:Grade II* listed churches in Hampshire

Category:Church of England church buildings in Hampshire

Category:Diocese of Winchester

Category:Octagonal churches in the United Kingdom

Mary