St. Michael's Church, Southampton

St Michael’s Church stands on the east side of St Michael’s Square off Bugle Street in Southampton’s Old Town. It is the oldest building still in use in the city, founded in 1070 shortly after the Norman Conquest. The church occupies the site of an earlier Saxon settlement and was built on higher ground closer to the River Test. It is the only medieval church still active of the five originally inside the walled town. A Grade I listed building, it has survived wars, fires and neglect to remain a witness to centuries of change. The Fish Market once stood in the square outside, now replaced by the Tudor Merchant’s Hall. The church’s long history is visible in every part of its fabric. Archaeologists date its foundation to 1070, and Henry II granted it to the monks of St Denys in 1160. After French raids in 1338 it was rebuilt and enlarged, adding chapels on both sides of the chancel in the 13th century. The spire, first built in the 15th century and raised to 165 ft in 1887, guided ships into the port. During the Second World War the spire served as a landmark for German bombers, and the church escaped serious damage while others nearby were destroyed. Inside, thick Norman walls enclose a rectangular nave formed in the 15th century. The chancel is 22 ft 6 in square with 12th-century lower walls and a triple-arch piscina from about 1260. The north chapel, once the Mayor’s Chapel, holds a merchant’s mark of the Woolstaplers’ Guild. The black Tournai marble font dates from about 1170 and is one of only four such fonts in Hampshire. The east window shows the five medieval churches of Southampton, and the west window depicts St Michael slaying the dragon.