St Michael's Church, Kirkham

The earliest evidence of a church on the site is in 684 AD. Kirkham was one of the oldest foundations in Lancashire and one of only three listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as existing in Amounderness. This hundred was part of the vast possessions of Roger earl of Poictou and the church was held by the Priory Church of St. Mary, Lancaster. William of York (died 1154) issued a charter to return the church to Shrewsbury Abbey. In a later charter, dated 5 December 1280, King Edward I conveyed the advowson of Kirkham to the abbot and convent of Vale Royal Abbey which held the church until the dissolution in the reign King Henry VIII. It was then given to the dean and chapter of Christ Church,…

The roof of the nave is painted red and is divided into squares by ribs, at whose intersections are gilded bosses of different designs. The font is located halfway down the north side of the nave. It is Victorian and consists of an octagonal gabled and crocketted bowl on an octagonal column. The wooden pulpit is massive, measuring approximately 125 ft from the base to the top. There is a ring of eight bells which were cast by Charles & George Mears at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1846.