was built, and of this only the columns and vault survive. The south aisle was added in the 13th century, linked with the nave by a five-bay arcade in which the two western arches are taller than the other three. In the 14th century the north aisle were added with its two-bay arcade of octagonal columns, and the Lady chapel south of the chancel. The west tower was also added in the 15th century. This may be when the central tower was dismantled, leaving only the columns and vault visible inside the church. Also from the 15th-century, are the choir stalls, the screen between the chancel and Lady chapel, the baptismal font and a doorway to a former rood loft. Inside St Michael's are several monumental brasses, most of which are late Medieval. One is of a priest, John Balam, who died in 1496. A triple brass from about 1500 depicts a knight and his two successive wives. Another represents Sir John Daunce, who died in 1545, with his wife who died in 1523 and their children. Another depicts John Latton, who died in 1548. Unusually there is also a 19th-century brass: an image of Faith in memory of John Macdonald, a boy who died aged 13 in 1841. In about 1875 the north porch was rebuilt and the nave was re-roofed. The church is a Grade I listed building. The west tower has a ring of eight bells. Joseph Carter of Reading cast the sixth bell in 1586. As well as his name and the year, the bell bears the legend Blessed be the name of the Lorde. Henry II Knight, also of Reading, cast the third bell in 1663. His successor Samuel Knight cast the fourth bell in 1689 and the fifth bell in 1704. Edward Read of Aldbourne, Wiltshire cast the seventh bell in 1752. John Hunt, who briefly ran a bell-foundry at Cholsey, cast the tenor bell in 1825. These may have completed a ring of six bells, until John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the present treble and second bells in 1906. St Michael's also has a Sanctus bell that Thomas II Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast in 1819. St Michael's parish is part of the Churn Benefice. Economic and social history In 634, St Birinus was sent from Rome to convert the Midlands. Tradition has it that he preached to the