St. Michael’s Church is the parish church of Breaston, and as such is part of the Church of England. With the parishes of St Giles’ Sandiacre, All Saints Sawley, St. John's Long Eaton, St Chad's Wilne and St Mary's Draycott we form a Mission & Ministry Area (No. 51) in the Diocese of Derby.
Breaston itself is a large village situated between Nottingham and Derby, to the west of (and just over the M1 from) Long Eaton on the A6005. It is a couple of miles from junction 25 of the M1.
The centre of the village - called The Green, despite being a car park! - is compact and contains a good variety of shops (including a post office), pubs, St. Michaels’ Church and Breaston Methodist Church. There is a vibrant community spirit, and a very definite sense of identity. For more about Breaston visit the Community Forum website.
360-Degree Tour of the church
Take a look around the church - click on the picture, and explore different parts of the church.
(Note that if you get an error about Adobe Flashplayer, HTML5 with WebGL or CSS3D support, you may need to use a different browser.)
We are grateful to Tony Dolby of Keytonecaptures for the photography and post-processing of this 360-degree tour.
Getting to St. Michael's
Car parking is usually available on The Green, the square in front of the church.
History
Originally a chapel of ease to Sawley, St. Michael's was probably built during the reign of King John. The first building consisted of a nave and small tower. Discovery of an aumbry in the north wall of the nave suggests the chancel arch was the original east window. This aumbry may have been blocked up when the chancel was added c. 1250.
In the thirteenth century it became fashionable to increase the height of church towers by adding a spire. This trend was achieved at Breaston by forming a broach to each upper corner of the tower upon which the octagonal spire now stands.
14th Century
Following the Black Death, in the mid fourteenth century, a second extension was built onto the chancel with two buttresses added to its north wall for support. At this time the altar was probably moved to its present position. Two piscinas were inset in the south chancel wall, one of which remains; the other was removed during the Victorian restoration.
Three bays were made in the nave's south wall; the removed stone was used to construct the outer wall. At the base of the northernmost bay arch is a sculptured face known as the Breaston Boy, reputed to be that of the master mason in charge of alterations. Little is known of his origins... unless you subscribe to the history provided by the "Rev'd" George Keeling. George produced many a script over the years, and this is one of the favourites. Take a look at his performance on YouTube.
The new south aisle contained an altar, above which were two corbels to support statues of saints. The piscina here has been despoiled and plugged at some time.
The church's main door was in the south wall and stonework around the outside of this door is decorated with carvings said to be signs of the zodiac. These are now badly eroded. By 1839 this doorway was blocked and a new entrance made in the north wall of the nave. Early church roofs were often thatched and steeply pitched. To combat fire hazards, and improve internal light, St. Michael's walls were raised and the roof pitch reduced enabling two clerestory windows to be added. The line of the old roof can clearly be seen inside. A window in the north wall of the chancel was probably blocked at this period since a support for a roof beam is embedded in the stone.
The Breaston Boy (Click to expand)
16th & 17th Centuries
At this time two bells hung in the steeple and just over a hundred years later, Sir Henry Willoughby of Risley gave a third on which was inscribed Ex dono Henricus Willoughby, Barronet 1657. A buttress to the left of the lower tower may have been added at this time to give support to the additional bell. At the top of this buttress are carved coats of arms of the Gray and Willoughby families along with initial E.T.(sic) R.W.Chur.W.1680. The Churchwardens' Accounts Book of St. Chad's, Wilne, reveal that Edward Jowitt was churchwarden for Breaston in 1680 and Robert White in 1681, so possibly these are their initials.
18th Century
Elizabeth gave a silver chalice with a cover designed to be used as a patten, together with two silver alms dishes which bear her coat of arms. The chalice is inscribed The Hon. Mrs. Eliz. Grey, who endowed this Chapell of breaston, gave to it this Cupp 1721. The Derbyshire alabaster font bears the initials I.W. or T.W. and date 1720, and is believed to have come from Risley Hall. The new font cover was purchased in 1911, despite earlier misgivings that the ornate cherubs might be construed as representing paganism.
19th Century
In 1871 much of this work was reversed! A large early 18th century semi-circular window in the north wall of the nave was replaced with a three-light traceried window. New pews of deal and a pulpit were installed. The floor level was raised 18 inches, and the font once more moved. 26 years later, however, a faculty was granted to build an organ chamber and vestry breaking through the south wall of the chancel, thus forming an arcade of two arches filled with oak screens with doors. These doors were later removed.
Before 1719, when Breaston benefice became united with that of Risley, all baptisms, marriages and burials took place at St. Chad's, Wilne. Interments continued at Wilne until the churchyard at Breaston was consecrated by Bishop Henry Ryder of Lichfield and Coventry in 1824.
20th Century
New choir stalls were added at the beginning of the 20th century; the church council was "highly pleased". A north porch was added to the church in 1935 "in affectionate remembrance of William Williamson, Churchwarden". Seats were shortened at the west end; a screen fitted in the tower arch and the font once again moved. Ten years later a new pulpit, lectern and altar rails were installed, and a lych gate built in 1950.
21st Century
The addition of an extra floor in part of the School Room/Church Hall enabled us in 2007 to create a new church office.
In 2008 the chancel was reordered: the old choir stalls were removed, the area carpeted and equipped with comfortable seating and new curtains, including one to close off the chancel arch, thus providing a more intimate space for small services or meetings.
2012 saw - at last, and much to everyone's relief - the creation of toilet facilities, situated in the old "engine shed" in the southwest corner of the building. This project also includes small kitchen facilities.
2015 saw the refurbishment of the kitchen and toilets in the church hall - long overdue, and a great improvement. We were greatly helped by grants from the Garfield Weston Foundation, Derbyshire County Council (via Councillor Robert Parkinson) and Allchurches Trust.
In 2019 there was a major project to replace the pews with light chairs, to install a new heating system, and to install new audio-visual equipment including a motorised screen and a state-of-the-art sound desk.