Listed Building record MDR6391 - St Michael's Church, Church Lane, Pleasley

St Michael's Church, Church Lane, Pleasley, originally a 12th century building. 'The church of Pleasley is dedicated to St Michael and has a Norman chancel arch. The walls are probably Early English and the tower Perpendicular.' (1) 'In normal use [1966].' (2) 'Norman Chancel arch, the rest, a long aisleless nave is mainly 13th century.' (3) 'The church at Pleasley, dedicated to St Michael, has a seating capacity of 200. A late Norman arch divides the nave from the chancel. This arch is handsomely moulded and ornamented with alternate billet pattern, and with jambs 12 ft apart. The windows are of the Early English period (1145-1272), which suggests that the church was built during the transitional period from Norman to Early English. The tower belongs to the Perpendicular period. A description of the church in c1815 records a 'double chancel', one beyond the other. However as part of extensive alterations in 1847 the inner arch of the chancel was removed. At the same time an external sepulchral recess on the south side of the church was opened but found to contain neither a stone coffin nor any other remains apart from a coffin-shaped slab. A medieval font was found in the rectory garden where it had served as a flower vase. It has been restored to its rightful place inside the church together with a newer font, at the base of which is incised the date 1662, suggesting that the medieval font was removed during the Civil War and that the church was without a font during the Commonwealth.' (4) One of the bells of St Michael's is of historical significance. Dating to c1520, the bell was made by the Seliok family of Nottingham. (5) From the National Heritage List for England: 'This List entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 02/01/2017 SK 56 SW, 11/138 PARISH OF PLEASLEY, CHURCH LANE (West Side) Church of St Michael (Formerly listed as located in Church Street) 08.07.66 II* Parish church. C12, C13, C14 and C19. Coursed squared sandstone with sandstone dressings. Welsh slate roofs, stone coped gables and moulded kneelers. West tower, nave with south porch, and chancel with north vestry. The tower has a moulded plinth and diagonal buttresses with three set-offs. Two unequal stages. To the south three small slits light the staircase. Rectangular louvred opening with chamfered surround. To the west is a blocked four-centred arched doorway and a four-centred arched 3-light window of three cusped lancets and with a concave surround. The lower stage is blind on the north side. Bell stage separated by moulded string course. Two-light bell-openings on all sides have cusped lights and a low cusped arch rising from the apexes of the lower lights. Pair of gargoyles to north and south. Battlements and four crocketted pinnacles. The north side of the nave has three heavy buttresses linked by a chamfered string course. Two plain lancets with hoodmoulds. Blocked lancet-shaped doorway. C20 vestry block not of special interest. The east wall of the chancel has a 2-light window with Y-tracery. Hoodmould. South elevation of the chancel of two bays, with two heavy buttresses with between them a tomb recess which has a chamfered coping and blocked segmental arch with hoodmould. C19 2-light window above with bar tracery. To the left a 2-light window with cusped tracery and a priests doorway with moulded arch and hoodmould with C19 foliage stops. The nave has a taller buttress with two set-offs, then a 2-light window with Y-tracery, hoodmould and headstops. Broad gabled porch with stone slate roof. Broad entrance with chamfered depressed pointed arch, impost slabs and hoodmould. Pair of C20 doors. To the left of the porch is a C19 plain lancet, a buttress with two set-offs, and a window with Y-tracery and hoodmould on head-stops. Further buttress with two set-offs. INTERIOR: C12 chancel arch with double billet frieze on the label and two roll mouldings in the arch. C12 font with figures carved in relief. Chamfered tower arch, the inner chamfered order on corbels. C19 roofs. The C19 chancel south window is internally shafted and panelled to form a sedilia. Mid-Victorian stained glass in the east window. C19 reading desk with earlier carved panel incorporated, possibly of European origin. Jacobean style pulpit from Derby cathedral. Wooden eagle lectern. Second font (under the tower); plain octagonal bowl with carved underside, dated 1662. Listing NGR: SK5042864572.' (6)