St Michael and All Angels Church, Howick

St Michael and All Angels Church is a Church of England parish church located within the grounds of the gardens of Howick Hall in the village of Howick, Northumberland, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building, receiving around twenty thousand visitors annually.

1. History and features

The parish of Howick dates back to 1158 when a priest named Asket is recorded, but there was a church here long before his time. The original temple was built in Norman style, it was destroyed by a fire in 1746 and was replaced by what the church guide calls 'a curious Ionic temple'. That 'Ionic' building burnt down in turn and was replaced by the present church in 1848, which was designed by the architect FJ Francis. This neo-Norman style temple is a typically Victorian building, with round-arched Romanesque windows and doors. Francis extended the church eastward by the addition of a chancel and vestry, and westward by the bell-cote. The church is closely related to the Greys of Howick Hall, and many of the members of the Grey family are buried in the churchyard. The most famous and important of them was Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who served as Prime Minister between 1830 and 1834. It was during his tenure that the Reform Act 1832 was passed, paving the way for representative democracy. But today he is best remembered not for his political achievements, but for the tea that bears his name. The Greys did more than just go to church. Maria Copley, 3rd Countess Grey (1803–1879), was a sculptor. She carved the gargoyles that decorate the exterior north wall. Mabel Palmer, 5th Countess (1884–1958), commissioned the paintings behind the altar and the baptismal font, and are regarded with mixed feelings. Michael Fisher, the second Anglican Bishop of St Germans, recounts the experience with the family of Charles Grey, 5th Earl Grey in his memoir For the Time Being: A Memoir, he mentions that they were devout High Church Anglicans, but the churchmanship of St Michael's is unclear.

1. References


1. External links

A Church Near You entry Media related to St Michael's and All Angels church, Howick at Wikimedia Commons

Nearby Places View Menu

Howick Hall

Howick Hall, a Grade II* listed building in the village of Howick, Northumberland, England, is the ancestral seat of the Earls Grey. It was the home of the Prime Minister Charles, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845), after whom Earl Grey tea is named. Howick Hall is the location of the Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum.

Historic Site Landmark

Howick, Northumberland

Howick ( HOH-ik) is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Longhoughton, in Northumberland, England, between Boulmer and Craster. It is just inland from the North Sea, into which Howick Burn flows from Howick Hall. In 1951, the parish had a population of 246.

Landmark Neighbourhood

Howick house

The Howick house is a Mesolithic site located in Northumberland, England. It was found when an amateur archaeologist noticed flint tools eroding out of a sandy cliff face near the village of Howick. Investigations found a circle of substantial post holes with charcoal stains in their bases, a number of smaller stake holes, some angled in from outside a hollow, and inside the house a number of shallow hearths filled with charcoal, burnt nutshells and some fragments of bone. Radiocarbon dating of the charred hazelnut shells established that the building was constructed about 7600 BC and occupied for about 100 years, which led to the find being called "Britain's oldest house". This title was disputed in 2010 when the discovery of the even older 'house-structure' at Star Carr in North Yorkshire was announced. Some of the hearths showed signs only of nut roasting, and the numbers of shells suggested that food was cooked here in quantity, perhaps to preserve it for times of scarcity. Together with the very substantial construction shown by the size of post holes, this led to the view that the house was occupied permanently rather than being used on a transient or seasonal basis as expected during the Mesolithic period. Charred hazelnut shells have been found at several other sites from this period, including Cramond, but their smaller stake holes were interpreted as remains of a temporary encampment. The interpretation that this was a permanent residence for hunter-gatherers is supported by analysis that Howick is a place where natural resources would have allowed all-year-round occupation. Its coastal position provided animals, flint for tools, wood for construction and fuel, fish, seals, sea birds and their eggs, shellfish and a nearby source of fresh water that was available at the time of occupation. Many sites from this time are coastal, but the particular circumstances found here and the evidence of ceremonial ritual from the site at Star Carr in Yorkshire, only 100 miles away, are interpreted as indicating that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were capable of establishing permanent settlements.

Historic Site Landmark

HMS G11

HMS G11 was a G-class submarine of the Royal Navy in service during the First World War. One of six of her class built by Vickers at Barrow in Furness, she was launched on 22 February 1916, and commissioned on 13 May 1916.

Landmark Maritime