Visitors book in St Michael's church, Whichford. Started on Valentine's Day 2004.
"Whichford is an oasis of peace nestling in the hills of South Warwickshire, and possesses one of it's more ancient and rewarding churches. St Michaels dates back to Norman times at least, as witnessed by its Romanesque south doorway with plain tympanum (some believe this to have been effaced at the Civil War, though it seems more likely to have always been this way, possibly once bearing painted decoration instead).
Aside from the Norman masonry in the south wall of the nave most of the present building dates from the 13th-15th centuries, the later phase of medieval work being represented by the fine clerestorey which added height to the nave and a series of fine three-light windows on the south side. The nave has aisles of differing lengths, that on the north side being early 13th century in origin but enlarged when the west tower was begun in c1300; this is a fairly plain structure with a battlemented top, and is built against the west end of the aisle and part of the nave west wall. The south aisle by contrast is a mere chapel, extending along only the easternmost bays of the nave and flush with the south porch, appearing to be one styructure despite the internal division. The chancel remains unaltered 14th century work with attractive quatrefoil-traceried windows.
Within the asymmetry of the aisles is more apparent, with a four bay 13th century arcade on the north side balanced by a single arched opening to the south, leading into the small space known as the Mohun Chapel. The whole interior is light and airy thanks to the plastered finish and the south clerestorey flooding the nave with light. The wooden nave roof is a 19th century replacement, but otherwise there is little evidence of Victorian restoration structurally apart from some stained glass and the simple furnishings. Small pieces of medieval glass, mostly in the tracery lights, remain in many of the windows, adding to the sense of antiquity in this fine church.
The medieval stained glass is located around the church in small quantities, the earliest being in the north aisle where the two-light window with more recent glass has a small roundel in the tracery that could possibly be 13th century glass; it's rich blue and amber shades are somewhat darkened by corrosion and the design difficult to make out but it appears to represent some sort of winged creature or grotesque. In the neighbouring window on the north side are three heraldic roundels dating from the early 14th century. The two circular traceries in this window also have old glass, simple plain circular motifs, though only the left hand one is complete.
The chancel windows all retain their original 14th century glass in their tracery lights, the east window having a small Crucified Christ at its apex with two censing angels below, all set on a red background but heavily corroded and difficult to discern. The four side windows each have a single quatrefoil tracery containing a quartered coat of arms.
The most readable and best preserved pieces can be found in the Mohun chapel to the south of the nave, where the east window retains its full set of mid-14th century traceries, all executed on 'clear' glass with abundant use of silver (yellow) staining. At the top is a descending Holy Dove, its head turned in profile, whilst below are two crowned female figures, that on the right being a 19th century replacement; original this pair would have portrayed the Coronation of the Virgin as Queen of Heaven, with the complete figure of Mary remaining on the left, and Christ seated and blessing her to the right, where only his gesturing right hand remains, clearly disconnected from the present replacement figure, a cruder mirror image of the original Mary figure opposite.
The three trefoils below contain heads amidst foliage, with a frontal Christ in the centre and a balding saint, possibly St Peter to the left; the right hand head has been lost and, like the figure above, has been replaced with a mirror-image of the original piece opposite.
The side windows both have three traceries, in each case a sacred monogram and a pair of Evangelist emblems. Only the surrounding foliage is original on the easternmost window, most of the rest is copied from this whilst the central roundels are most likely the inventions of the 19th century restorer.
The only truly Victorian stained glass is that in the three-light west window, a somewhat garishly coloured work from the 1870s with a central Christ as the Good Shepherd flanked by two figures of sowers, illustrating the well known parable. The maker is unknown, but the style unusually archaic for its date, harking back to earlier Victorian work.
The remaining three windows form a set from the studio of Heaton, Butler & Bayne and are all early 20th century in date, those in the north aisle likely being installed to commemorate the Great War c1918. The colouring is muted in somewhat earthy tones, but beautifully drawn and painted, typical of this studios output at the turn of the century. The three-light east window centres on the Holy Family with adoring shepherds and Magi flanking them, whilst below are smaller predella panels of the Annunciation, Visitation and Presentation in the Temple.
As stated earlier the north aisle windows seem to form a War memorial with a traditional Crucifixion group in the east window and a striking two-light composition on the north side featuring St Michael triumphing over Lucifer, who is shown as an unusually human vanquished warrior with wings; St Michale is of course the church's patron saint, though such image of warrior saints overcoming the forces of evil were especially popular after the War.
There are arched recesses for tombs in both the north aisle and the Mohun chapel on the south side, but only the latter preserves a proper grave-marker in the form of a carved slab, in this case bearing a simple cross design with a large quartered shield of the Mohun family superimposed over the top, dating from c1300.
On the north side of the chancel is the most impressive tomb in the church, a late 15th century tomb chest under an arched recess with an incised slab on top. The design features a priest lying under a rich canopy with chalice and book either side of his head, the detail in good condition.
To the south of the altar lies another tomb-chest, this time with an unusual synthesis of Gothic and Renaissance styles in the panelling on the sides, and a black marble slab on top containing a somewhat undersized brass to Rector Nicholas Asheton (c.1582). Above the tomb chest is an inscription to the deceased, wholly post-medieval in style with a coat of arms and scrollwork in relief.
The chancel walls have several 18th century tablets mounted on them, mostly to members of the Watkins family."
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