St Michael and All Angels' Church in New Forest National Park

Sight · New Forest National Park

St Michael and All Angels' Church

Pre-Raphaelite glass, Leighton fresco and Alice Liddell's grave

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.2 km
Audio stories
10 nearby
  • Parking

Hear the audio tour

Lyndhurst Village and Bolton's Bench

Overview

About St Michael and All Angels' Church

Why stop

  • Pre-Raphaelite glass and Leighton fresco reward a close look
  • Alice Hargreaves grave adds a memorable literary connection

Heads up

  • Interior access varies around services and church activities
This is the Grade I listed parish church in Lyndhurst, built between 1858 and 1868 to a design by William White. Its polychromatic brickwork and tall spire are visible from the street, and the interior holds a notable collection of Victorian art and craftsmanship. If you are in Lyndhurst anyway, it is worth stepping inside for a slow look.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop

Map

Where it is

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SightSt Michael and All Angels' Church50.87223, -1.57782
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Aim for a daytime visit in good light, when the glass and the fresco read best. A regular daytime opening pattern is in place, but exact hours change, so check current arrangements before travelling. The honest drawback: this is an active parish church, so access can vary around services and other church activities.

Access and parking

Parking is on street at the church or within 250 metres. There is level access to the main areas of the church, and accessible toilets are available nearby.

1 active New Forest alert

  • CautionNew Forest outdoor-fire restrictionDo not use BBQs, campfires, stoves, outdoor camping equipment or other naked flames on the open Forest.Official details
New Forest alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

New Forest Tour Guide

Your drive to St Michael and All Angels' Church, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New Forest National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Lyndhurst Village and Bolton's Bench
0:00 / 0:35
“You're approaching Lyndhurst, where the New Forest Heritage Centre sits beside the main village car park. Inside, a seven and a half metre embroidery tells around 900 years of Forest history through the seasons.”

Plays as you drive up to St Michael and All Angels' Church in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Swan Green
  • The Dragon Beneath the Yew
  • White Band in the Woods
  • Alice’s Life After Wonderland
  • 283 audio storiesacross New Forest’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, White-tailed Eagle, Harbor Seal, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 70 trails, 48 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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Guide

More about St Michael and All Angels' Church

What you will seeStained glass with Pre-Raphaelite associations, including the east window by Edward Burne-Jones…
  • Stained glass with Pre-Raphaelite associations, including the east window by Edward Burne-Jones and south transept glass by Morris and Co., plus Clayton and Bell glass in the north transept.
  • Lord Leighton's reredos fresco of 1864, along with wall paintings by Pollen.
  • Architectural detail worth pausing over: carved angels, Purbeck shafts and a carved timber and iron screen.
The Alice connectionAlice Hargreaves, née Liddell, worshipped here, and her grave lies outside, to the south of the…

Alice Hargreaves, née Liddell, worshipped here, and her grave lies outside, to the south of the church. She is remembered as the Alice associated with the Wonderland stories, though it is fair to treat that as a historical association rather than a neat one to one match with everything in the books. Allow a few quiet minutes in the churchyard rather than treating it as a quick photo stop.

Site and settingThe church sits on a mound in Lyndhurst, in the New Forest.

The church sits on a mound in Lyndhurst, in the New Forest. A 2011 excavation here found evidence of medieval religious activity and a 12th century settlement, and the same work concluded that the mound is a natural feature rather than a man made one, despite long standing local belief.

Wildlife

Wildlife in New Forest

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Near St Michael and All Angels' Church

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