St Michael and All Angels Church

St Michael's Church is the parish church of Kerry, in the historic county of Montgomeryshire, now Powys. There may have been a church on the site since the 7th century. The new church in 1176 was built of stone, the only trace today being the remnants of the nave arcades. With its north and south aisles and perhaps a small chancel occupying what is now the east end of the nave, it was a building of some size and presumably importance.

The four Norman arcades with cylindrical columns joined by chamfered rounded arches are possibly the most interesting feature of the church. They are likely to be from the church which was re-dedicated by Gerald of Wales in 1176.

The nave and aisle have fine 15th-century roofs. The nave has four arch-braced principals or composite cruces and the roof has been strengthened by a triangular truss one third of the way down the nave. The massive beam of this truss has a decorative mould which is likely to be early 16th-century and may represent a strengthening of the structure at the same time as the campanile was placed on the tower. The three tiers of quatrefoils roof wind-braces are likely to belong to the Victorian restoration. In the north aisle, there are arch-braced principals with foiled apex struts and two tiers of decorative wind-braces.

Kerry has a stone-built church tower with a timber capping characteristic of many Border churches. The tower houses 3 bells.

The chancel wagon roof was replaced in 1883 and consists of 18 close-set arch-braced trusses springing from wall-plates with trefoil-headed panels. The section over the altar is a restored medieval canopy with moulded arch braces and four purlins. The bosses have been recently re-gilded.

The pulpit is Victorian, with fragments from the 15th-century screen. The chancel screen and lectern date from the restoration of 1883. The stained-glass east window of the Resurrection is by Charles Eamer Kempe of 1871. The churchyard contains war graves of four British soldiers of World War I.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Kerry, Newtown, United Kingdom

Details

Founded: 1176
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom