Churches in the Stone – Heritage from Staffordshire Past Track

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Christ Church, Stone. Christ Church was consecrated in 1840. In 1899 the two steeples seen here at the front of the church were removed when they were found to be unsafe. The facade was rebuilt with a single bell turret.

Exciting times for Staffordshire Past Track. The Staffordshire County Council’s Museum Service and ICT Web Development team have redesigned the site to ensure its long term future, and to make it suitable for use on phones, tablets and PCs. It features higher resolution images, improved search facilities, a greater range of historic and modern mapping, and lots more resources relating to Staffordshire’s history and heritage – now over 28,000 and counting.

St. Michael’s Church, Stone. Interior view, looking towards the chancel. The galleries and box pews remain, but the pulpit no longer survives and the chancel was rebuilt in 1887.
St. Michael’s Church, Stone. Interior view, looking towards the chancel. The galleries and box pews remain, but the pulpit no longer survives and the chancel was rebuilt in 1887.

Here is a small selection of a series of watercolours of churches in the Stone area recently added to Staffordshire Past Track, painted by an unknown artist in 1857. They are part of a set of around 300 paintings commissioned by the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral between 1857 and 1861, recording the interior and exterior of every church in the county in Lichfield Diocese.

St. Saviour's Church, Aston by Stone. St. Saviour's was built in 1846. The architect was James Trubshaw. Note that the steeple is incomplete, this was not added until 1870 by J.R. Botham.
St. Saviour’s Church, Aston by Stone. St. Saviour’s was built in 1846. The architect was James Trubshaw. Note that the steeple is incomplete, this was not added until 1870 by J.R. Botham.

 

St. Michael’s Church, Stone. St. Michael's was built in 1758 on the site of the twelfth century Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Wulfad. The present church was designed by William Robinson of Greenwich and the main building work was undertaken by Charles Cope Trubshaw of Great Haywood.
St. Michael’s Church, Stone. St. Michael’s was built in 1758 on the site of the twelfth century Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Wulfad. The present church was designed by William Robinson of Greenwich and the main building work was undertaken by Charles Cope Trubshaw of Great Haywood.

Although by no means great works of art, they provide a fascinating glimpse of Staffordshire’s parish churches before many were ‘Victorianised’, extended or rebuilt in the later 19th century. We will have a look at some of the churches around Eccleshall in a later edition. We are grateful to the Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral for permission to reproduce these pictures.

All Saints’ Church, Milwich. The first record of a church on this site is dated to about 1140. The tower of the present building dates from the late fifteenth century, although the remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 1790s after the south walls and roof collapsed. The bricks for the new building were made at Milwich Heath. This view shows the interior, looking towards the pulpit and chancel. It shows the layout before it was altered in 1906 when the three decker pulpit and box pews were removed.
All Saints’ Church, Milwich. The first record of a church on this site is dated to about 1140. The tower of the present building dates from the late fifteenth century, although the remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 1790s after the south walls and roof collapsed. The bricks for the new building were made at Milwich Heath.
This view shows the interior, looking towards the pulpit and chancel. It shows the layout before it was altered in 1906 when the three decker pulpit and box pews were removed.

These paintings and many others will soon available on the Staffordshire Past Track website (www.staffspasttrack.org.uk). If you have any images to lend, or any extra information, please contact the Past Track team: Staffordshire Past Track, Staffordshire Archives & Heritage, Shugborough, Milford, Stafford ST17 0XB. Telephone 01889 881388. email: past.track@staffordshire.gov.uk . You can also keep up to date with what’s new on Past Track by ‘liking’ our facebook page.