St Michael and All Angels' Church, Thornton

The first church on the site was built in 1219, but the present building dates from the first half of the 14th century. This originally consisted of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a chancel with a chapel to its north, and a west tower. Under the north chapel was the burial vault of the Tyrell baronets of Thornton. The north aisle was demolished in 1620, and the north arcade was walled up. Between 1780 and 1800 the church was re-ordered, turning it into a "rectangular preaching box". The north aisle was rebuilt and the arcade re-opened, the chancel arch was walled up and the chancel and north chapel were demolished. A new ceiling was made below the level of the clerestory…

Inside the church are north and south four-bay arcades carried on octagonal piers. The ceiling is flat and plastered. In the body of the nave is the font, then the alabaster effigy of a 14th-century priest. Beyond these is the re-assembled tomb chest of Robert Ingylton. This had been moved from the church at the beginning of the 19th century and used to form a grotto in the grounds of the house. Its remains were discovered in 1945 and reassembled in the church the following year. The top of the tomb is covered by a large brass inscribed with the figures of a man in armour, three wives, and 14 children, all framed by a canopy with four gables. The sides of the freestone chest are carved with…