St Michael's Church Aldershot

Introduction

St Michael the Archangel’s Church & Bells

St Michael’s is the Parish church and the oldest building in Aldershot.

St Michael the Archangel's Church & Bells
St Michael's is the parish church of Aldershot, and it is the oldest building in the town. It used to be the centre of Aldershot village, back when Aldershot was just a small village. It stood on the Pilgrim's Way, an old path used by travellers, and it was visited by King John, Queen Elizabeth I, King James I and King Charles II. Monks from nearby Waverley Abbey once farmed the land around it.

The land where St Michael's stands was once owned by Alfred the Great. When he died, he left it to the monks of Winchester. The church was most likely built between 1120 and 1150. You can still see signs of the Middle Ages around the building today, and the oldest bell has been ringing since 1380.

When Elizabeth I was queen, the tower was rebuilt. It became part of a chain of beacons used to warn people if Spanish ships were coming. In 1645, Royalist soldiers set fire to the village during the Civil War, but the church survived the flames.

The clock was put in place in 1799. In 1801, people were worried about body snatchers, so special brick-arched graves were built in the churchyard to help protect them.

By 1859, the British Army had moved to Aldershot Camp nearby. This made the local population grow fast, from 875 people to 16,000. Because of this, the church was made bigger, and again in 1911 it was extended to the size it is today.

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‍Bells

The Parish Church of Aldershot dates from the twelfth century, the brick tower being added about 1600, originally with 3 bells.  

They were rehung and augmented to 6 in 1911 with the 2 trebles added in 1920 to complete the octave.  These last 2 bells were dedicated to the Fallen of World War I.  

In 1961 the bells were recast and rehung with new fittings.
In 2016 the bells were overhauled by Taylors Bell Foundry.  

The heaviest bell of the eight, known as the tenor, weighs 8 1/2 cwt (452 Kg), and the lightest known as the treble, 2 3/4 cwt (154 Kg)

St Michael's has been the parish church of Aldershot since the 1100s. The brick tower was added around 1600, and back then it held 3 bells.

In 1911, the bells were rehung and more were added, making 6 in total. Two more bells were added in 1920 to make a full set of 8. These last two bells were given in memory of those who died in the First World War.

In 1961, the bells were recast and rehung with new fittings. In 2016, they were fully checked over and repaired by Taylor's Bell Foundry.

The heaviest bell, called the tenor, weighs about 452kg. The lightest, called the treble, weighs about 154kg.

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