St Michael the Archangel Church, Warfield
St Michaels the Archangel Church, Church Lane, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG42 6EG
Sunday 15th September Rob Entwistle will give an excellent, informative tour of the inside and outside of this amazingly interesting church that charts its origins back to 1016 AD when Queen Emma granted permission for an old Saxon chapel to be built. The present North Aisle is the oldest part of the present church, probably built in the 12th century. It still retains the old 'Devil's Door', kept open during christenings to let out the banished evil spirits. The tower is 13th century and the nave, including the roof, is 14th century. The quality of the carved foliage of the reredos (complete with relic chamber) and around the sedilia (stone seats) and piscina (a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels) is incredible. Particularly of note are the two 'green men' hidden among the stone leaves and the remains of the Easter sepulchre. The work probably dates from the 1340s. The small angelus tower at the south-east corner is highly unusual.
St Michaels the Archangel Church, Church Lane, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG42 6EG