St Michael's is a magnificent cruciform church, dating largely from the 13th and 14th centuries.

The height and width of the Decorated nave, and the quality of the window tracery are astonishing in a parish church, while the chancel is a fine example of Early English architecture.

August 2010

St Michael's is a magnificent cruciform church, dating largely from the 13th and 14th centuries.

The height and width of the Decorated nave, and the quality of the window tracery are astonishing in a parish church, while the chancel is a fine example of Early English architecture.

August 2010

Kelly's Directory 1930 has :-

"The church of St. Michael is remarkably beautiful cruciform building of stone, in the Early Geometrical, Late Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave and aisles of three bays under a single roof, transepts, fine south porch and a central embattled tower, with pinnacles, containing 3 bells :

the chancel, lower part of the tower and the piers supporting it are the earliest portion, the nave and aisles Decorated and the upper part of the tower Perpendicular :

the chancel has three lancets on each side and retains a large double Early English piscina :

in the south transept chapel, dedicated to S. John Baptist; is a piscina and aumbry and the entrance to the rood loft, and a carved oak chest :

in the north transept chapel, possibly dedicated to the Holy Virgin, are the traces of a triptych and a small trefoiled piscine:

portions of the ancient canopied chancel screen are now in the south transept:

in the north aisle is the recumbent stone effigy of a lady of the 14th century :

the west window, which is of great size, occupies the entire end of the church and, as well as the western windows of the aisles, has reticulated quatrefoiled tracery :

there is a stained window in the chancel, erected in 1921, by Mr. and Mrs. Widdowson, to two sons who fell in the Great War, 1914-18:

the font is a remarkably good and almost unique example of curvilinear gothic, and consists of an octagonal basin, carried on a shafted hexagonal stem :

the pulpit, reading-desk and choir stalls and seats are of finely carved oak, many of the latter being of 15th century work :

the nave was reseated and restored in 1851 and 1856, when some interesting frescoes, representing scenes in the life of Our Lord, were discovered above the chancel arch, but it was found impossible to preserve them :

there are 250 sittings"

DB 20 June 2022

White's Directory 1872 notes :-

"The Church (St. Michael) is a large cruciform structure, with a handsome tower rising from the centre, and supported on arches and short, well grouped piers of early English character.

The nave and aisles are fine specimens of the architecture of Edward III., and the western window, a beautiful four light of great size, occupies nearly the whole end of the church ; but the chancel appears to be of the age of Henry III., with a fine large east window of two lights.

The roof of the chancel was raised in 1856 to its original height, and the church, which contains a good organ, was re-seated at the same time.

In the north aisle is the effigy of a female, which was removed some years ago from the north transept, which is partly destroyed"

DB 20 June 2022

St Michael's church viewed from the north.

"Parish church. C12, C13, C14, C17, restored 1851, 1856 and 1909"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

"A good collection of C14 poppybead bench ends, some 35 in all, with blank panel tracery having trefoils, quatrefoils and foliage"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

C13 chancel with a fine 2 light east window.

DB 20 June 2022

More detailed view of the altar.

DB 20 June 2022

"Round headed chamfered doorway with moulded imposts"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

Memorial to the Revd Thomas Darby d.1840 a former vicar.

DB 20 June 2022

"The roof of the chancel was raised in 1856 to its original height"

DB 20 June 2022

Depiction of Saint Michael.

"There is a stained window in the chancel, erected in 1921, by Mr. and Mrs. Widdowson, to two sons who fell in the Great War, 1914-18"

DB 20 June 2022

An unusual cast-iron headstone close by the west end at St Michael's.

August 2010

Broken cast-iron cross, once marking a grave in the churchyard of St Michael.

Unusually there were once several other cast-iron headstones or grave markers here.

August 2010

View across the crossing looking towards the organ and south transept.

DB 20 June 2022

Church Guide has "The wooden vaulting under the tower dates from later than 1848 and masks the stone groining which Archdeacon Bonney noted in that year" 

DB 20 June 2022

Looking east towards the crossing and chancel beyond.

DB 20 June 2022

Looking west towards the font.

"Tall 3 bay nave arcades, quatrefoil piers with concave quirks, engaged annular capitals and double wave moulded pointed arches"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

Parish chest at the west end of the nave.

DB 20 June 2022

"C14 octagonal ashlar font has continuous panels of fleurons to the sides, ball flowers to the lower chamfer and an engaged shafted base with annular capitals"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

C19 pulpit.

DB 20 June 2022 

C19 reading desk.

DB 20 June 2022

"C14 king post tie beam roof of nave continues uninterrupted over the aisles"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

"the west window, which is of great size, occupies the entire end of the church and, as well as the western windows of the aisles, has reticulated quatrefoiled tracery"

DB 20 June 2022

Looking west with ongoing repairs in the foreground.

DB 20 June 2022

"Early C14 effigy of a lady in the north aisle, she is clad in a wimple with tightly buttoned sleeves, hands clasped in prayer and the feet resting on a dog"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

"For years her identity was in doubt, but local research has established that she was Nichola de la Haye, wife of Gerald de Camville, who was lord of the Manor at Swaton early in the 13th century.  Her father, and later her husband, were both constables at Lincoln Castle, and when Gerald died in 1214 Nicholaa kept the guardianship of the castle and defended it for King John (c.1167-1216).  She met the King in 1216, retired in 1226 and died in her sixties in 1230"

https://www.heckingtonandhelpringhamgroup.org.uk/swatonstmichael.htm 

DB 20 June 2022

Lady Chapel with war memorials above the altar.

DB 20 June 2022

"In the north transept is a C14 piscina with cusped ogee head and crocketted finial"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

Rectangular First World War Memorial with a circular Second World War Memorial above.

DB 20 June 2022

"The gabled south porch has gabled angle buttresses and a moulded outer doorway with double shafts and annular capitals"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

Looking east towards the south transept which is screened off.

DB 20 June 2022

Double chamfered doorway into the south transept. Above the door is an incomplete C13 red painted Wheel of Life.

DB 20 June 2022

"In the south aisle is an ashlar plaque to John Billings, d.1773, in the form of a scrolled oval panel with cherub"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

"A white marble tablet to John West, gentleman, d.1853, in the form of a plain pedimented obelisk"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

DB 20 June 2022

"An incomplete C13 red painted Wheel of Life"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1061820?section=official-list-entry 

Visible in the painting is a child in a basket and a ladder. 

DB 20 June 2022

Memorial above the door to members of the Moore family - Harriet Moore d.1832 aged 7 years, Walker Moore d.1828 aged 8 months, Louisa Moore d.1832 aged 8 months, Charles Moore d.1839 aged 4 years.

DB 20 June 2022

Maker's plate reads "J.R. Cousans, Sons & Co Lincoln".

DB 20 June 2022