Welcome to St Michael’s Church, a beautiful Norman building dating from around 1130, built over the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. For nearly nine centuries, this sacred place has stood at the heart of the village — a place of prayer, peace, and community.

Among the many treasures to discover are the 14th/15th-century font, the pre-Reformation oak pulpit (the oldest surviving pulpit in County Durham), and the 16th-century choir stalls with their carved poppy-heads. The bell tower houses six bells, three dating from the 15th century and three from the 19th century.

You’ll also find a number of interesting memorials and windows, including the Cumby Memorial, Byerley Brass, Aylmer and Blacklin Windows, and several Hatchments. More information about these features can be found in the guide booklet at the back of the church.

St Michael’s is open daily for quiet prayer, reflection, or simply to enjoy the peace and beauty of this ancient house of God. Whatever brings you here, we hope you leave feeling refreshed and uplifted.

And as you step back out to the village green, take a moment to look again at the church tower rising above the trees. Built in a time when it was a place of safety and a point of reference for the whole community, St Michael’s still stands as a symbol of God’s eternity and of Christ’s continuing love for us all.

            The spiritual heart of the community: growing in faith, reaching out in love.