Catwick, St Michael's Church

Catwick, St Michael's Church

The pleasant little country church of St Michael, Catwick, stands on a shady lane beside open fields. We do not know when the first church was established at Catwick, but there was a Saxon building here before the time of the Domesday Book.

Saxon Carving

One wonderful survivor of the Saxon church is set into the north wall of the chancel. This is a small carved stone depicting the Archangel Michael. The carving is best described as rustic, but the figure has great charm, though he seems to have an unhappy expression!

Saxon carving of the Archangel Michael

The Saxon church was replaced with the current building in 1272. The east window and transept windows survive from the 13th-century church and are good examples of early Decorated style.

A medieval holy water stoop sits on a window sill in the north wall. There is a very nice stained glass window commemorating Godfrey and Elena Park, installed by their children in 1866.

The main historic interest here, though, is the Saxon carving of the Archangel Michael described above.