St Michael's Church
St Michael's Church
St Michael's church interior
The familiar layout of the church pews today was once very different. The pews are beautifully carved and once filled almost all of the church, which meant there was enough seats for 760 people.
A Quiet Sanctuary
The beautiful and peaceful grounds of St Michael’s church offer a quiet place to relax and admire this magnificent building
The Rood Screen
The Rood Screen was freshly gilded and painted in the early 16th Century. Only the lower portion of the screen remains. It is divided into sixteen sections, most of which contain a picture of a saint, with his symbols, but two of them appear to represent donors.
St Michael's Church
In 1372, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, 4th son of King Edward III, became the owner of the Manor of Aylsham. He provided money to the villagers of Aylsham for the building of a large new church. The church was dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, and it was built on the site of an earlier much smaller church.
By 1450 the North and South Transepts and the North and South Aisles had been added. The North Transept was the Guild Chapel of St. Peter. The South Transept was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The South Porch was added in 1488 at the bequest of Richard Howard, an Aylsham man who became Sheriff of Norwich. His initials (one on either side) can be seen above the inner door, and he has a brass inside the church.
The rood screen was freshly gilded and painted in the early 16th Century. There are 16 figures on the screen. There are also carvings above the figures, including one of St Michael and the dragon.
Modern changes to the church have seen the West end floor raised to enable a level access from both the doors, with a ramp curving down to the Nave. A small kitchen, servery and disabled toilet have been added as well as a community room.
The landscape gardener Humphry Repton is buried in the churchyard and is commemorated with a memorial located outside of the chancel door.
Teucer Wilson
Hidden among the quiet lanes near Aylsham, the workshop of master stone carver Teucer Wilson is where ancient stone is transformed into lasting works of art. From his North Farm studio near Burgh-next-Aylsham, he creates memorials, sculptures and public artworks in slate, marble and sandstone.
For Aylsham's Heritage Snail Trail, Teucer hand-carved six heritage snail plaques, using beautiful British stone including Purbeck marble, Derbyshire fossil stone and Welsh slate. Apprentice Mirella McGee and assistant Dan Meek completed the remaining carvings from his template. As the stones were polished, fossils millions of years old were revealed.
Trained in Dorset and London before establishing his Norfolk workshop in 2000, Teucer's work can be seen at Norwich Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Highgate Cemetery and many other public spaces. In 2025, he was honoured as a Royal Designer for Industry, recognising his outstanding contribution to British design.
All historical images reproduced here courtesy of Aylsham Town Archive, a part of Aylsham Town Council
