St Michael's Church, Burgh by Sands

St Michael's is constructed in Roman red and calciferous sandstone stones taken from Hadrian's Wall, and has a green slate roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave with a clerestory, a north aisle, a two-bay chancel with a two-storey vestry to the east (the former east tower), and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, it has very thick walls that contain steps within the west wall to a chamber, and a newel staircase at the southwest angle. There are clasping buttresses, and arrow slits in the bottom stage. The middle stage contains trefoil-headed lancet windows on each side, that on the east looking into the nave. The bell openings in the top stage are round-headed, and the parapet is battlemented. The north doorway was probably moved from the west of the church; it is Norman and has beakhead decoration.[2] The rest of the medieval parts of the church are Early English in style, with lancet windows in the chancel and the north wall of the aisle.[3] In the south wall of the nave are three blocked square-headed windows, and two 19th-century two-light windows. Between these windows is a large 18th-century aedicule monument. The vestry has a blocked 15th-century window, an 18th-century round-headed window and, in the upper storey, a 19th-century sash window.[2]

Yett between church and tower

Inside the church is a three-bay north arcade of pointed arches carried on octagonal columns.[2] A small passage leads into the base of the tower; this is protected by an iron gate (or yett).[2][3] The chancel arch dates from the 19th century, and contains a recess for an aumbry. In the east wall of the chancel to the left of the altar is a carved Roman corbel stone. To the right of the altar a door leads into the vestry.[2] The stained glass in the north aisle windows dates from 1898 and is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne; one of these depicts Edward I. The rest of the stained glass dates from 1897, and is by Seward and Company.[3]