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St Michael & All Angels through the ages

  • Nov 21, 2023
  • 2 min read

Updated: Mar 13

From John Betjeman's Guide to English Parish Churches:

"Pre-Conquest windows were discovered during aggressive restoration by Ferry in 1860; a triangular recess in the chancel has been interpreted as a Saxon oven for baking wafers. The nave is dominated by the timber cage supporting an impressive 15th-century wooden bell-turret"


Memories of Revd H Gordon French, Vicar of Thursley 1932 - 1959



St Michael & All Angels: A Brief Guide

From a leaflet originally compiled by the Revd A W Mills, Vicar 1959 - 1968

and revised in 1980





A Short Guide to The Parish Church of St Michael And All Angels

An undated 6 page leaflet by Alan Bott, OBE, MA, FSA









The interior of the Church before the installation of the organ and still with oil lamps

The front of the Church before it was extended.







The interior photograph of the Church shows the Gallery


The West side of the Church


Thursley Church, 1938



The illustration of the Church above comes from pages of a book held by Surrey Archeological Collections and reproduced in the pdf below



18th Century Table Tombs:


"One of Thursley's landmarks, the large well-known old horse chestnut tree, at the Parish Church, fell victim to the gale on Monday evening (14th November 1977). Canon John Stevens, the vicar, said it was a miracle the tree did not fall the other way as it could have hit the church or it could have crashed on one of the cottages by the church. As it was, "it laid itself nicely across the road, blocking it." The church gate and a section of boundary wall have been damaged. The tree, thought to have been one of the largest horse chestnuts in Surrey, is referred to in tourist guide books and also has a brief mention in the Thursley Church Guide Book published in the 1960s which suggests it was 250 years old. Many years ago it was subject to tree surgery with iron rods holding the trunk together. These rods were made at the Elstead Forge by the late Guy Bovington, his daughter Mrs G Hewitt recollects. Many old Thursley residents and others, were sad to learn about the end of the tree under which, said one resident, "generations of Thursley have passed to worship in the church and for weddings, christenings and funerals". Picture shows Mr Otto Jaenicke who is over six foot tall and Miss A Ayres beside the roots of the fallen giant chestnut.
"One of Thursley's landmarks, the large well-known old horse chestnut tree, at the Parish Church, fell victim to the gale on Monday evening (14th November 1977). Canon John Stevens, the vicar, said it was a miracle the tree did not fall the other way as it could have hit the church or it could have crashed on one of the cottages by the church. As it was, "it laid itself nicely across the road, blocking it." The church gate and a section of boundary wall have been damaged. The tree, thought to have been one of the largest horse chestnuts in Surrey, is referred to in tourist guide books and also has a brief mention in the Thursley Church Guide Book published in the 1960s which suggests it was 250 years old. Many years ago it was subject to tree surgery with iron rods holding the trunk together. These rods were made at the Elstead Forge by the late Guy Bovington, his daughter Mrs G Hewitt recollects. Many old Thursley residents and others, were sad to learn about the end of the tree under which, said one resident, "generations of Thursley have passed to worship in the church and for weddings, christenings and funerals". Picture shows Mr Otto Jaenicke who is over six foot tall and Miss A Ayres beside the roots of the fallen giant chestnut.

Extract taken from The Herald of Friday, November 18th 1977





This is a link to the Church's website:

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