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St. Michael's Church in Ason Tirroldconsists of a chancel measuring internally 27 ft. 9 in. by 15 ft. 2 in., a modern organ chamber, a nave 43 ft. 6 in. by about 20 ft. 7 in., a modern north aisle, a south transept 17 ft. 3 in. by about 16 ft., a tower about 12 ft. square, and a modern south porch.

The church in the 12th century consisted of a nave and chancel, but was probably of earlier origin, as in the wall of the north aisle is a reset square-headed doorway of roughly hewn masonry, possibly of preConquest date. In the first half of the 13th century the chancel appears to have been rebuilt and the south transept and west tower added, but, apart from the partial remodelling of the transept in the 14th century and the insertion of windows, no structural alterations appear to have been made until about forty years ago, when the north aisle was built. The present organ chamber was erected in 1910, and in 1913 the chancel was repaved with stone and marble and refurnished in oak, in memory of Sir John Leigh Hoskyns, bart., rector from 1845 to 1911.

The east window of the chancel, a mid-14th-century insertion, is of three uncusped lights with foiled intersecting tracery under an ogee head. The rear arch is moulded, and springs from small attached jamb shafts. At the north-east is a single lancet, and under its west jamb is a plain aumbry; the remainder of the north wail is occupied by an archway opening into the organ chamber. Under the west jamb of the south-east window, which is like the corresponding window on the north, is a piscina with a foliated basin corbelled out from the wall. At the south-west is a round-headed window of two pointed lights with a circle in the head; it is of 13th-century date, but was raised from its original position when the church was restored. Immediately to the east is a blocked 13th-century doorway, the pointed external head of which has been raised by the insertion of two square stones above the abaci of the jamb shafts, which have foliated capitals. The chancel arch is modern. The walls are coated externally with roughcast, and at the eastern angles the foundations of flat buttresses may be seen. The organ chamber is lighted from the east by a reset 15th-century window of two cinquefoiled lights under a square head, which was probably taken from the north wall of the nave when the aisle was added.

At the north-east of the nave is a doorway with a four-centred head to the now blocked rood stairs, which has been carried through into the north aisle. A similar upper doorway to the loft also exists. The modern north arcade is of three bays, and is designed in the style of the 14th century. The opening into the south transept is pointed and of two chamfered orders; the responds have narrow chamfered angles and much restored moulded abaci. To the west of the opening is a late 14th-century window of two trefoiled lights with tracery of flowing character under a square head. The rear arch is four-centred and the central mullion has a small capital above the springing of the heads of the lights, as if it had been intended to continue it as a vertical tracery bar. At the south-west is a round-headed Norman doorway with square responds and moulded abaci cut off flush with the wall, and to the east of the doorway externally is a small holy water stoup, but the basin has long since been destroyed. Immediately above the doorway, and visible only internally, is a blocked round-headed window with widely splayed inner jambs.

The modern north aisle has three single trefoilheaded lights on the north, and in the east bay is inserted the square-headed doorway referred to above, which was taken from the north wall of the nave when the aisle was added, and was originally opposite to the present south doorway. On the outside, immediately below the head, are two crudely cut projecting brackets, while in the blocking is set a 13th-century tomb slab on which is carved a very fine foliated cross; the upper part is missing and the head is broken across the middle. In the west wall is a restored round-headed opening with original splayed inner jambs, which was originally in the north wall of the nave.

In the east wall of the transept are two much restored trefoiled lancets with widely splayed inner jambs. Between these windows, and beneath their sills, are 14th-century image brackets. In the south wall is a restored early 14th-century window of three uncusped lights with reticulated tracery under a pointed head. In the west wall is a window of about the same date, of two uncusped lights with a quatrefoil above, the tracery being set flush with the outside wall. Externally below the level of the window sills is a moulded string-course; the diagonal angle buttresses appear to be modern.

The tower is in two stages with an embattled parapet, and diagonal buttresses of three offsets at the western angles, stopping just above the moulded stringcourse which marks the level of the bell-chamber. At the north-east is a vice, now entered from the outside, but originally from inside the tower through a small three-centred doorway in the north wall. The tower arch is of a single pointed chamfered order, and springs directly from the side walls of the tower, the eastern chamfer being continued down the meeting angles of the nave and tower walls. The west window is of 15th-century date, and is of three trefoiled lights with a traceried four-centred head. The ringing chamber is lighted by a small squareheaded opening, and the bell-chamber by small pointed lights in each face.

The south porch is comparatively modern. Fixed against the east wall is a piece of 14th-century oak tracery, the upper part of which has been cut out of a single timber. It consists of seven trefoiled openings, the spandrels between the heads being pierced with trefoils. On the opposite wall is some 15th-century oak tracery of six cinquefoiled ogee lights, with half lights at the ends, and quatrefoiled circles in the spandrels.

Like those of the chancel, the walls of the nave, transept, porch, and tower are covered with rough-cast, the stone quoins and the door and window jambs being left uncovered. The chancel and nave roofs are modern, but a truss with a king-post and braced tie-beam, evidently portion of a low-pitched 15th-century nave roof, still remains above the chancel arch on the west. Over the transept is an original trussed rafter roof with a king-post principal towards the south end. The wall-plate and the principal tie-beam are moulded. All the roofs are covered with tiles.

The font, which is probably of 12th-century date, has a circular bowl. In the tower are a restored 16th-century chest and an early 18th-century altar table.

There is a peal of five bells and a sanctus bell: the treble is by Joseph Carter, 1603; the second, probably by John White, about 1520, is inscribed in Lombardic capitals maribelw; the third is by Henry Knight, 1617; the fourth is inscribed 'Love God 1639'; and the tenor is by Lester & Pack, 1737.

The plate consists of a paten and chalice, both stamped with the date letter of 1754, and a small unmarked cover paten, which is evidently of the same date.

The registers previous to 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms 1726 to 1775 and 1773 to 1783, marriages 1728 to 1752, burials 1727 to 1783; (ii) baptisms and burials 1769 to 1812; (iii) marriages 1754 to 1812 (printed). The churchwardens' accounts begin in 1705.

Historical information about St. Michael's Church is provided by 'Parishes: Aston Tirrold', in A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3, ed. P H Ditchfield and William Page (London, 1923), pp. 452-457. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp452-457 [accessed 13 March 2023].

St. Michael's Church is a Grade II* listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, Aston Tirrold - 1286159 | Historic England.

For more information about St. Michael's Church see Parishes: Aston Tirrold | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk).