Church of Saint Margaret

Church of Saint Margaret

A parish church with origins in the late 12th century, substantially rebuilt in stages. The tower dates to 1769 and was built by William Magley and William Griffiths, while the nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1788 by the same builders, incorporating a late 12th-century core. The building underwent restoration, alteration and the addition of a south porch in 1900 by architect Hodgson Fowler, with the 1900 work carried out by Mr. Bridgeman of Lichfield.

The church is constructed of red brick with grey sandstone ashlar dressings. The east end was rebuilt or refaced in 1900 in red sandstone ashlar. Plain tile roofs cover the structure. The plan comprises a three-bay nave and chancel in one, a west tower and south porch.

The nave and chancel feature a chamfered brick plinth, raised brick quoins, a stone cill band at gallery level, and a dentil brick eaves cornice with a parapeted gable end to the west finished with stone coping and shaped kneelers.

On the south side are three bays. Two tiers of round-arched windows have raised brick architraves with raised keystones and impost blocks, fitted with metal cross windows containing leaded lights. Two blind upper-tier windows occupy the right side; the central one retains partial inscriptions reading "THIS CHURCH / was Rebuilt / AD 1788 / ... WALTER ... Church Wardens". A round-arched doorway between the first and second windows from the left has an architrave, impost blocks and keystone, fitted with a pair of 19th-century doors. The gabled wooden south porch stands on a chamfered red sandstone plinth, with a Tudor-arched entrance, hollow-chamfered scalloped bargeboards and three-bay sides with ogee-headed lights. Cast-iron bootscrapers flank the entrance. A round-arched priest's doorway in the right-hand bay has matching stonework details.

The north side contains two bays with two tiers of windows. The plinth stops short to the right. A yellow and grey sandstone datestone between the upper windows is inscribed "William Magley / William Griffiths / Builders A.D. 1788". An oval yellow sandstone memorial plaque to the right of the right-hand lower window is inscribed with Latin text commemorating Maria Theopili Houlbrooke Elle, who died on 16 June 1786, aged 31, and her infant daughter Maria.

The east end has a double chamfered plinth and flanking buttresses with chamfered offsets. A parapeted gable end with coping is topped by trefoil-panelled gabled kneelers and a cross at the apex. A large Perpendicular Style window of five cinquefoil-headed lights dominates the east end; the centre light is taller and ogee-headed, with panelled tracery, moulded reveals and a hoodmould with uncarved stops. A small quatrefoil-in-lozenge panel is positioned in the apex of the gable.

The tower comprises three stages. It has a double-chamfered stone plinth, stone string courses at set-backs to each stage, dentil bricks to a coved stone cornice, a blocking course and small corner obelisks. A flagpole crowns the structure. The belfry openings of the second stage are round-arched louvred two-light openings with Y-tracery and architraves featuring impost blocks and keystones. Circular panels are set into the second stage: that to the south has a moulded stone architrave and a clock; that to the north also displays a clock. The south panel is rendered, though the render was mostly fallen off at the time of survey in July 1986, and the date stone was illegible. The first stage features a lunette to the west with radial glazing bars, a stone architrave, cill and keystone. A round-arched south doorway has a stone architrave, impost blocks and keystone, and is fitted with a 18th-century nail-studded boarded door with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges. Remains of a stone memorial tablet to the north record Mrs. Margaret Corser, wife of Mr John Corser of Whitchurch, who died 23 November 1778 aged 75, as well as other members of the Corser family. The tablet is square with a husk border and two fluted brackets.

Interior

The interior preserves a late 12th-century round-arched west doorway (into the tower) with an inner chamfer, one order of shafts (now missing) with stiff-leaf capitals, moulded impost blocks, a roll-moulded arch and outer roll moulding. A Gothic memorial door dates to 1932. A late 12th-century roll-moulded round-arched piscina is positioned to the south.

The east window of 1900 has nook shafts with moulded bases and capitals, a moulded inner arch and hoodmould with carved stops. Beneath the window sits an integral stone reredos with five cinquefoil-headed panels, panelled spandrels and a carved frieze above with a moulded top.

The nave roof is flat with a moulded cornice. The 19th-century two-bay chancel roof features arch-braced chamfered tie-beams with central carved panels resting on stone corbels; cross panels between them are also carved with bosses.

A large west gallery dated 1634 is the principal fitting. It consists of a large ovolo-moulded beam with ogee stops, carved strapwork to the soffit and a carved trail to the front. An ovolo-moulded post to the left has a fluted cap. The underside shows four ogee-stopped ovolo-moulded beams. The front balustrade has stubby balusters and displays an inscription reading "THIS GALLERY WAS BUILT ANO DOMI 1634: 10 POWNDE TOWARDS THE COST OF IT WAS GIVEN BY THE RIGHT WORLL Ms JANE GROSIVENOR OF MORTON SAY AND ALL Y TIMBER WAS GIVEN BY THE RT WORLL ARTHUR SANDFORD OF SANDFORD ESQVER."

A dog-leg staircase to the rear of the gallery has steps formed from solid blocks, a closed string, turned balusters, a moulded grip handrail and square newels with globe or ovoid finials. Late 17th-century or 17th-century-style dado panelling runs around the walls.

A circular red and grey sandstone font with a moulded base and top is fitted with a wooden cover. A wooden pulpit of around 1900 features pierced traceried panels and a carved frieze. Two wooden eagle lecterns stand in the church. A screen of around 1900 comprises 2:1:2 bays with linenfold lower panels, cusped pierced heads with carved spandrels, a carved vine trail frieze, rosettes and brattishing, and a central rood cross. Choir stalls of the 20th century have carved poppyheads. A carved pelmet is positioned over the west door. Stained glass in the east window dates to around 1900 and is by Kempe.

Monuments include a large stone chest tomb to Jane Vernon (d.1623) and her two husbands, John Bostock and Richard Grosvenor. The tomb displays recumbent effigies rising slightly from front to back, with a 2 by 3 bay chest fronted by Tuscan half columns. A round arch to the rear has imposts and a cherub in the keystone with strapwork within; flanking free-standing Corinthian columns support a cartouche above containing a shield and strapwork with flanking obelisks. A restored wooden tablet to Elizabeth, Mary and Rachell Vernon of 1642, signed "T:PVE", displays three kneeling figures flanked by columns with a shield and obelisks above. Several late 18th-century and early 19th-century tablets commemorate members of the Clive, Corser and other families. A simple tablet records Robert, Lord Clive ("Primus in Indis"), who died in 1774 and is buried in the church.