St Michael and All Angels Church, Bassett

St Michael and All Angels Church stands in Bassett, a suburb on the eastern side of Bassett Avenue in Southampton. The red-brick building with stone dressings was completed in 1910 after two stages of construction. A small bell-turret rises above the western gable, and inside a concrete vaulted roof rests on stone ribs. The church belongs to the parish of North Stoneham and Bassett and has the largest congregation of the three churches in the parish. The church is worth visiting for its interior features and historical connections. Frank O. Salisbury’s first stained-glass window, depicting Christ flanked by archangels, can be seen in the east window. The west window, designed by Francis Skeat, was donated in 1962 by Hector Young, a former mayor, in memory of his wife who died in the Blitz. The nave has four broad rib-vaulted bays separated from the chancel by a rood-screen with a carving of the Crucifixion. The church was designed by Edward Prioleau Warren and built by Messrs. Holloway Bros. of London. Inside, visitors find a nave with rib-vaulted bays and a rood-screen above the chancel. The east window shows Christ with Michael and Gabriel, while the west window portrays Michael defeating Satan. The organ, built by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1937, has four ranks and 25 speaking stops across two manuals and pedals. The church holds Sunday services, Choral Evensong, and a midweek Eucharist, with a strong choral tradition. The choir regularly performs at Winchester and Chichester Cathedrals, and the church hosts Taizé services on the last Friday of most months.