ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS

In 2007 plans were put in motion by the then incumbent Rector, Rev Ian Wallis, for the reordering of the interior of St Michael & All Angels Church in the centre of Houghton-le-Spring.

The community project, called the Next Nine Hundred Campaign, was to see improved access to the church along with new movable pews and chairs, underfloor heating, general redecoration and the building of a new heritage centre and meeting room.

During those renovation works, the history of St Michael's was rewritten when secrets from under the floor revealed new theories about what once was.

This section of the Houghton Heritage Society website focusses on the history and heritage of the ancient church, which is thought to have been a place of worship for over a thousand years.

History of Penshaw Monument including a time line of events

HOUGHTON'S PARISH CHURCH

St Michael & All Angels Church in Houghton-le-Spring is a Grade I Listed Building. The present building is mostly 13th/14th century but it is thought that the site was used for worship up to 1,000 years ago!
[CHURCH HISTORY]

Tragedy at Penshaw Monument when a young lad fell from the top in April 1926

EXCAVATIONS IN 2008

In January 2008 the Church doors were closed while contractors controversially removed the traditional pews and excavated the church's floor. What did those investigations reveal? Find out here.
[EXCAVATIONS] | [GHOSTS]

A look at how Houghton's Parish Church has been restored and looked after over the years

RESTORATIONS

As an ancient building, St Michael's has often needed repairs and restoration work to its aging stonework. This short time line looks at some of those restorations, including the controversial ones of more recent times.
[RESTORATION]

A list of Houghton-le-Spring's Rectors

RECTORS

Houghton's newest Rector, Rev Canon Sue Pinnington, joined the long list of illustrious men responsible for Houghton's spiritual upkeep in October 2008. Canon Pinnington MBE is Houghton's first female Rector.
[LIST OF RECTORS] | [BERNARD GILPIN]

Views from the top of Houghton Church's tower which replaced a lead spire in 1824

CHURCH TOWER

Vintage drawings and engravings show us that the tower of Houghton Church was originally crowned with a spire of sorts. The tower was heightened in 1824 when the octagonal wooden and lead spire was removed.
[CHURCH TOWER] | [TOWER GRAFFITI]

The Bernard Gilpin Tercentenary Clock was installed in the tower of Houghton's church in 1884

CHURCH CLOCK

In 1884 the people of Houghton agreed that an illuminated clock would be beneficial and the best place to erect it would be in the tower of the Parish Church to mark the tercentenary of Bernard Gilpin's death.
[CHURCH CLOCK] | [DONOR NAMES]

The arched entrance of Houghton's Church was originally on the other side of the road

ARCHWAY & SHIELDS

The arched entrance of Houghton's Church was originally on the other side of the road and formed the entrance into the Rectory grounds. It was relocated in the 1950s and adorned with commemorative shields.
[CHURCH ARCHWAY]

The Kepier Hall was originally the Royal Kepier Grammar School

THE KEPIER HALL

The Royal Kepier Grammar School, or Kepier Hall as it is now known, is located within the grounds of the churchyard, just behind St Michael & All Angels Church. The school, which dates from c1574, closed in 1922.
[KEPIER HALL]

The Davenport and Lilburne Almshouses are located behind the parish church of St Michael & All Angels, next to the Kepier School in the churchyard. Robert Surtees described the building in 1908 as: “...low and uniform, consisting of a centre and two wings, and containing six comfortable chambers.”

THE ALMSHOUSES

The Davenport and Lilburne Almshouses are located behind the Parish Church. Surtees described them as: “...low and uniform, consisting of a centre and two wings, and containing six comfortable chambers.”
[ALMSHOUSES]

Burial Records/Grave Registers for the churchyard of St Michael & All Angels Church, Houghton-le-Spring

THE CHURCHYARD

The earliest date on a headstone in the Parish churchyard is 1581, however all of the memorials have been flattened and the majority are now grassed over and sadly are hidden from view.
[CHURCHYARD BURIAL LIST]

The Cenotaph was erected in Houghton's churchyard in 1925 to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Great War 1914 to 1919

CENOTAPH

On November 7th 1925 a new cenotaph was unveiled in the southwest corner of the churchyard. Made of Portland stone at a cost of £7,000, it was erected in memory of those who died during the Great War.
[CENOTAPH]

There have been three Rectories in Houghton: the original opposite the Church; Clergy House which was originally a curatage; and a modern house at Lingfield, off Gillas Lane

THE RECTORY

There have been three Rectories in Houghton-le-Spring: the original stone building opposite the Church; Clergy House which was a small curatage on Dairy Lane; and a modern dwelling house at Lingfield, off Gillas Lane.
[HOUGHTON RECTORY]

Beautiful stained glass windows as found inside HOughton's parish church, St Michael & All Angels Church, Houghton-le-Spring

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

The stained glass windows of St Michael's Church allow colourful light into the building. These works of art represent several scenes from the Bible and were often installed in memory of former parishioners.
[STAINED GLASS WIDOWS]

The Organ in Houghton Church plus a list of the organists

THE CHURCH ORGAN

The Church organ, in the north transept, was made by Harrison & Harrison of Durham and dates from 1932. A trombone stop was added to the organ in 1995 in memory of organist and choirmaster William Shenton.
[ORGAN & ORGANISTS]

Old copies of the Church magazine which in recent years became known as Sign Post

CHURCH MAGAZINES

Houghton Heritage Society has copies of the Parish Magazine dating back to the 1880s. More recent editions, known as Sign Post, are also in our collections and prove to be a handy resource for local historians.
[CHURCH MAGAZINES]

Join Fyass Byuk - Houghton Heritage Society's popular Facebook group

FACEBOOK GROUP

You can join Houghton Heritage Society by becoming a member on Facebook - or Fyass Byuk as we call it. We have over 3,300 members and the group is very popular with residents, descendants and ex-pats.
[FACEBOOK]

Videos and cine footage of Houghton-le-Spring

VIDEOS OF HOUGHTON

Houghton Heritage Society's YouTube Channel features exclusive videos of Houghton-le-Spring as well as footage from our heritage events throughout the year - and of course the Church's festival of Houghton Feast!
[YOUTUBE VIDEOS]

Old photographs of Houghton-le-Spring shared via Flickr

OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

Houghton Heritage Society has over 5,000 images in its collections. Many can be found on our Flickr page while our Facebook group has thousands of exclusive photographs as uploaded by our many members.
[FLICKR] | [ARCHIVE CATALOGUE]