Turning from the Tower screen we look up the Nave, which is comparatively short and filled with pews. Originally, the congregation stood for worship, and that is still the case in many eastern churches. The pew, a long, backed bench upon which congregants sit, was an innovation of western medieval Christianity. Pews were inherited by Protestants from the Roman Catholic Church, and because of their practicality, have spread to some Orthodox churches located in the west.

The nave basic structure is 14th century but it was re-roofed and thoroughly restored in 1863. Two windows were made to replace an original single window on the south side beyond the south door.

The arcading on the north side appears at least to have been very thoroughly restored if not completely renewed. Professor Pevsner calls the roof 'bleak', it certainly is rather plain and clumsy. The most interesting features in the vave are two pieces of furniture, the front and the screen across the chancel arch.

However, in 1961 members of the RAF repainted the medieval colouring, which undoubtedly helps to brighten the interior of the church and improve the screen.

What more can be said of the Nave? The pews are 19th century, again probably 1863 and have little merit either in looks of comfort. It appears from a board in the porch that a grant was made towards their cost providing that the seating was free, so they ousted the private pew system where rents were paid.

The pulpit, again probably of the same date, is over-large and heavy looking. But all this is overcome by the inevitable grace of the arcading, the piers and arches tilting the eye away from mere furniture and forcing an awareness of peace and snatches of beauty in a rumble village church.

The Nave
Looking towards the west of the church, one sees what is generally the largest part of the building: the nave.

Strangely enough, the word 'nave', which dates back to the 12th Century AD, comes from the Latin navis, meaning 'ship', as the vaulted ceilings of this part of the church often reminded people of the timbers used to build the hull of a ship.

The nave is where the congregation sits during a service. To the north of the seating, separated by a number of pillars, the north aisle runs most the length of the church. Looking up towards the ceiling one sees a row of wooden roof support beams, again running the length of the building above the roof of the aisle.

On some church designs, still looking upwards, below the clerestory, one often finds a row of highly ornate 'false' windows. These are openings into the roof spaces of the aisles, a space which is known as the triforium. St Michael and all Angel's church does not have this design feature.

Finally, towards the western end of the nave one will find the font, a stone basin used during baptisms. Within the font is a lead bowl inserted into the stone support, and inscribed within the rim of the bowl is 'SP 1688' probably the initials of a clergyman around 1688.

Turning back towards the east, you may now be able to see the full-length of the church. However, in some buildings, the public nave is completely separated from the eastern end of the church, where the priests direct services, by an ornate screen.

Heading towards the east of the church, across the crossing and through the screen, one enters the area of the church that was, in times gone by, accessible exclusively to the clergy. This is known as the choir.

The Choir
As the name suggests, this is where the choir stands during services. Many churches have ornately carved choir stalls, one on each side of the church. The choir in an English cathedral is divided into two sections: the cantoris half sits on the side of the choir near the cantor (the priest who sings certain sections of the service), while the decani sits on the same side of the building as the dean of a cathedral. When singing psalms, the two sides of the choir generally sing alternate verses; and when eight-part harmonies are required, the cantoris singers generally take the lower of the two parts in each of the four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass).

Other features of this area of the building are the pulpit, generally on the north side of the building. Continuing eastwards, one sees the altar rail, which divides the choir from the sanctuary. The altar rail is generally where communions are held, the congregation kneeling before the rail to receive communion.

Finally, we come to the altar itself and the apse beyond. The altar may be a simple, wooden structure or an ornate, canopied and decorated table. It represents the table used by Christ during the Last Supper, and is used during the consecration of the bread and wine during communion services and as the centre for all worship in the church.

The Pulpit
A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold", "platform", "stage") is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands in order to read the Gospel lesson and deliver a sermon.

In many mainline Christian churches, there are two speaker’s stands in the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left (as viewed by the congregation) is called the pulpit. Since the Gospel lesson is often read from the pulpit, the pulpit side of the church is sometimes called the gospel side.

The other speaker's stand, usually on the right (as viewed by the congregation), is known as the lectern. The word lectern comes from the Latin word meaning "to read", because the lectern primarily functions as a reading stand. It is typically used by lay people to read the scripture lessons (except for the Gospel lesson), to lead the congregation in prayer, and to make announcements. Because the epistle lesson is usually read from the lectern, the lectern side of the church is sometimes called the epistle side.