St Michael & All Angels Church
St. Michael & All Angels Church,
Kington St Michael
The parish of Kington St Michael falls within the Bybrook Group of Churches, which also includes Yatton Keynell, Biddestone, Grittleton, Littleton Drew, Burton & Nettleton, West Kington, Slaughterford, Castle Combe and North Wraxall.
For all enquiries please contact the Group Administrator, tel (01249) 782704, email bybrook.office@gmail.com. The website is bybrook.org.uk
Priest in Charge: Reverend Marc Terry
Churchwardens: Alison Greenhalgh, tel. (01249) 750742, and Christine Laskey.
Key holders: The Churchwarden (as above)
Colin Labouchere tel. (01249) 750222
Janet Elms tel. (01249) 750423
The church is normally open and visitors are welcome. However, should it be locked the key may also be borrowed from and returned to the village shop (opposite the church) during shop opening hours. There are boxes in the porch for you to recycle your batteries and ink
cartridges.
PCC Chair: Janet Elms
PCC Secretary: Alison Greenhalgh
PCC Hon. Treasurer: Vacant
Gift Aid: Vacant
Church Services & Events (bybrook.org.uk/services)
Saturday 1st March:
Progressive Supper in
aid of the restoration of the church's Saxon porch. - further details
to follow. Tickets will be on sale from early January. If you would
like to be incolved and are able to either host a course or provide a
dessert, please contact Lyn North on 07796 666867.
Church Coffee Corner every Monday - meet others and enjoy refreshments from 11.30am - 1.30pm; all welcome.
News
2024
September: Teddy Bear Parachute Day - Despite a very soggy afternoon and a delayed start, 35 brave bears took to the skies on Sunday 22nd September!
Enormous thanks to all who came, to all the helpers who contributed their time, to everyone who contributed to the hugely successful tombola, and raffle, and those who so kindly made delicious scones and cakes for the tea.
We are grateful too to Julian Frost who brought the ever-popular Yoda, the owl, who once more swooped around the church, to the delight of all. The event raised a wonderful £605.20 which will go to the church funds.
Thank you from St Michael & All Angels
A huge thank you to all the brilliant supporters who turned out on a hot day to saw, strim, clean, polish, pull a lot of ivy off the church walls and memorials, and provide delicious home made cake.
Everyone worked so hard and it has made a massive difference, the church and churchyard are looking so much better.
We really appreciate everyone’s time and support .
We will be holding quarterly
Spruce up Days to keep on top of everything and will be having regular
visits from the Unpaid Work Team to help with the churchyard.
If you would like to get
involved in either the cleaning rota or the mowing team, please contact
Colin Labouchere or Alison Greenhalgh (contact numbers on lych gate).
Churchyard and burial ground
The
churchyard belongs to the whole village; it is the village burial
ground. Anyone living in the village (and a number of others) have a
legal right to be buried here. It is not just for church-goers.To keep the whole area mown and tidy more regular help is urgently needed. Any of us may take our place there one day! Machinery
is available, but the team is short on volunteers. If you can undertake
even a small area, please ring Colin on (01249) 750222, or email colin@labouchere2.co.uk.
Ride & Stride
Many thanks to everyone who supported this year's Ride & Stride fundraiser. Whether you were one of the generous sponsors, welcomed visiting cyclists in church or did the hard riding, your efforts are very much appreciated. Between them David Greenhalgh and Adam & Diane Allen raised a fabulous £940; half goes to Wiltshire Historic Churches and half to our church funds.
Can you help?
The Parochial Church Council is the group that keep our lovely church running. They need a new treasurer as Gerry Elms has stood down after many years of service. This is a crucial role in these challenging times, managing and maximising the church finances and preparing the accounts. You will need to be confident with figures and spread sheets and to be able to attend bi-monthly evening PCC meetings. Gerry will do a full handover. For a chat about what is involved, please give him a ring on (01249) 750423.
We are also looking for someone to administor Gift Aid - please contact Alison Greenhalgh on (01249) 750742.
The Church as a Cool Space
The
Parochial Church Council would like to publicise that the church is
available as a cool space for use by anyone in the village in case of
hot weather. The church is open daily and drinking water and the toilet
are available. It is hoped that this will be helpful in any parish
planning for extreme weather.
Please scroll down for Church News
Angel Monument Lych Gate
A brief outline of the history of the church which is a Grade II* listed building
The original church here was of Norman origin. It was substantially restored in 13th century and parts of that restored church still remain. The porch, some of the south aisle and the chancel all date from that time. In 1703 during a severe storm the tower and spire collapsed into the north aisle. The tower, which now contains a peal of six bells (all dated 1726 by Abraham Rudhall, a Gloucester bell-founder), was rebuilt in 1725 and the north aisle in 1755.
The Victorians achieved another major restoration in 1857 and a great deal of this can be seen today, including the reredos behind the altar, the pulpit and the pews. Then just as the Christmas Day service started in 1990 a freak storm blew the southeast spire of the tower over and it fell into the roof timbers of the nave, miraculously causing no serious injuries. Thus further restoration work took place during 1991 and 1992 and the Bishop of Bristol rededicated the church on December 12th 1992. (Click here for more information and photos and click here to see a copy of the restoration appeal folder from 1991).
The plaque below the fine east window in the south aisle which is dedicated the Archangel St. Michael tells how it was erected in memory of two more illustrious sons of the parish, John Aubrey (1625-97) and John Britton (1771-1857), both of whom were Fellows of the Royal Society and renowned Antiquarians.
John Aubrey's drawing of St Michael & All Angels Church, including the previous manor house.
Apparently the spire collapsed in 1703, so after this was drawn.
The diarist Francis Kilvert mentions the parish several times in his writings, and in the north aisle can be found a memorial plaque to his grandparents, Walter and Thermutis Coleman.
In 1985 the late journalist, Miles Kington, visited the village and in particular the church. Click here to read Miles' ponderings, published in The Times on 17th January 1985.
An interesting fact is that our church is only one of less than a handful in the country which has bells that are rung in an anticlockwise peal.
View the Wiltshire On-line Parish Clerk's supplementary pages for Kington St Michael here.
Another interesting website to explore is compiled by Duncan & Mandy Ball and contains 229 photographs of Kington St Michael church & churchyard. Do have a good look around it, as there are lists of those buried plus photos of gravestones.
To search for past births, marriages and deaths please take a look at the Wiltshire BMD website.
(To read the story of St Michael, please click on the icon: 
)
Stained glass window showing
St Michael in the centre panel
(Photo courtesy of Niki Willows)
Stained glass windows (photos courtesy of Stewart Shape)
Vicars of St Michael & All Angels Church 1173-1975
(Photo courtesy of Linda Durno)
Church News
2023
Many thanks to Tim Sage for sharing these photographs of the baptismand confirmation certificates of his ancester, Maurice Arthur Sage.The baptism took place in St Michael & All Angels Church in 1913 and the
confirmation at St John the Baptist Church in Charlton near Malmesbury, in 1931.
This
Christmas-period postcard is thought to date back to WWI, as it appears to
depict a soldier from the era (the artist, Arthur Twidle, had died
before WW2) and would be sent to loved ones away fighting. The postcard
was for sale on eBay and is now owned by a church-going parishioner,
after a tip-off.
2019
Bonfire in the Churchyard
Colin Labouchere has pollarded seven of the 23 lime trees in the Churchyard. It is planned to pollard every alternate tree this year and the others next year. On New Year’s Day about 35 members of the village joined forces to feed a massive bonfire and they cleared the entire area. Their work was lubricated with mulled wine and pies. A wonderful job and a great thank you to all the gang.”
Previous church fete
The tombola and the children's run (photos courtesy of Janet Elms)
Woodlice race area (photo courtesy of Stewart Shape)