Warfield Church

About

Warfield Parish Church is a Grade II* listed building. It is located on Church Lane, Warfield, in Berkshire, England, ¾ of a mile north-east of the modern centre of the village. It is dedicated to the archangel Michael (although it is sometimes referred to as St Michaels and All Saints, locally it is known as St Michael the Archangel). The area around the church has been designated a conservation area since 1974 primarily to protect the character and nature of this historical building.

Pevsner commented that "Warfield is one of the most rewarding churches around". The building charts its origins back to 1016 when Queen Emma, the wife of King Æthelred the Unready decided to give "the vill and chapel" of Warfield to the See of Winchester. Although it is likely that the location where Warfield Church now stands has been a place of worship from approximately 800AD when it was little more than a clearing in the middle of the Windsor Great Forest. "Warfelt" is mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086. In 1087 under the reign of William II, The Priory of Hurley was given patronage of Warfield, i.e., the right to appoint the Vicar. This patronage continued until 1535.