Church Of Saint Chad And Attached Archway

This parish church comprises a 13th-century chancel, late 14th-century west tower, and some probably 13th- or 14th-century work in the west end of the south aisle. The remainder was restored and rebuilt in 1864–5, with the north transept and attached archway added in 1872. The tower is constructed of red (with some grey) sandstone ashlar, whilst the chancel and west end of the south aisle are of dressed red and grey sandstone. The 19th-century work uses uncoursed red sandstone rubble with red sandstone ashlar dressings. The roofs are covered in fishscale slate. The church consists of a four-bay nave and aisles with north baptistery, north transept with attached archway, chancel with north vestry, and west tower. The 19th-century work adopts a 14th-century Gothic style.

Tower

The tower has three stages with diagonal buttresses rising to the second stage with chamfered offsets, a moulded string course to the belfry, a moulded parapet string with central carved gargoyles, and a battlemented parapet with chamfered coping and crocketed corner pinnacles. The louvred belfry openings consist of two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved stops. Sounding holes in the second stage to north and south each consist of a quatrefoil set in a square panel. The west window has two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with carved stops. Small rectangular staircase windows are located in the south-west corner.

The 19th-century neo-Norman west doorway features dogtooth and fleuron ornament, one order of twisted shafts with cushion capitals and broach-stopped bases, and a boarded door with decorative strap hinges. The base, built out to the north, has a blocked Gothic doorway with hoodmould. A clock is positioned above the sounding hole to the south.

Nave and Aisles

The nave and aisles have buttresses (diagonal at corners) with chamfered offsets and parapeted gable ends with a cross at the apex to the east and ridge cresting. The left-hand return front of the south aisle features a moulded string course at eaves level. Aisle windows consist of two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved heads as stops. The clerestory windows are trefoil-shaped, also with carved heads as stops to the hoodmoulds.

Chancel

The chancel has a chamfered plinth to the north, angle buttresses to the east, a parapeted gable end with a cross at the apex, and ridge cresting. To the right is a chamfered round-arched window (almost pointed-arched), and to the left a blocked 13th-century roll-moulded priest's doorway. A straight joint to the left probably represents a blocked door or window. The north elevation has a chamfered round-arched (almost pointed-arched) window and a central 19th-century north doorway with roll-moulded arch and boarded door with strap hinges. The Tudor-arched east window has four Tudor-arched lights and a hoodmould. The east wall appears to have been rebuilt at a later date (evidenced by straight joints to north and south).

North Transept

The north transept has diagonal buttresses with chamfered offsets. Windows to east and west each consist of two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped Y-tracery, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved heads as stops. The doorway to the west has a chamfered arch, hoodmould with carved heads as stops, and a boarded door with strap hinges. The large north window has three cinquefoil-headed lights with Geometrical tracery, chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with carved heads as stops.

A polygonal vestry sits in the angle of the transept with buttresses, a pyramidal roof, a chamfered-arched window to the right with hoodmould, and a chamfered-arched doorway to the left with hoodmould and boarded door with strap hinges. A polygonal baptistery occupies the angle between the tower and north aisle, with buttresses, a pyramidal roof, and three chamfered-arched windows with hoodmoulds.

Archway

The archway adjoining the transept to the north is of rubblestone with tooled dressings. It features a Gothic arch with hoodmould and scalloped impost bands. Above is a battlemented parapet with chamfered coping, raised in the centre with a cross and a niche to each side (the niche to the west containing a small statue). Small carved shields appear in the spandrels to the west.

Interior

The four-bay nave arcades are 19th-century but possibly based on medieval fragments. They consist of octagonal piers with chamfered bases and moulded capitals, chamfered arches, and hoodmoulds with carved heads as stops. The 15th-century tower arch is continuously double-chamfered (the inner chamfer to the west has an impost band). The double-chamfered chancel arch possibly incorporates some medieval work; the outer arch has a chamfered base and the inner arch springs from marble colonnettes with carved stone corbels and stiff-leaf capitals. The chamfered north transept arch has an octagonal pier with moulded capital.

The 19th-century four-bay nave roof and three-bay transept roof have braced collar trusses resting on carved brackets with pierced spandrels and springing from stone corbels carved as heads, with pairs of purlins. The lean-to aisle roof has scalloped wall plates and carved rosettes. The ceiled wagon roof over the chancel has moulded ribs dividing panels and springs from carved stone corbels.

Chamfered-arched sedilia are located to the south with a trefoiled piscina to the left. A chamfered-arched doorway from the east end of the north aisle to the vestry has a boarded door with strap hinges. A chamfered-arched 19th-century doorway between the tower and baptistery has a boarded door. A 19th-century boarded door to the stair turret has chamfered square reveals.

Fittings

Tiles and mosaics flank the east window with panelling below. The 19th-century altar table is accompanied by a pair of large brass candlesticks. The altar rails date from 1933–6 with turned balusters. The 19th-century choir stalls have poppyheads, some with reused 17th-century panelling (featuring figures and arched panels) and some with reused barley-sugar balusters to the front. A brass eagle lectern is present. An organ occupies the eastern bay of the south aisle with painted timbers.

The 19th-century polygonal stone pulpit has a Caernarvon-arched passageway to the rear, stubby marble colonnettes to the stem and top with carved capitals and moulded bases, carved panels between with the symbols of the evangelists, and carved stiff-leaf to the frieze. The 19th-century circular stone font consists of clustered marble colonnettes to the stem with carved capitals and moulded bases, four carved quatrefoil panels to the bowl, and a wooden cover with wrought-iron cresting.

The 19th-century pews have arcaded backs and carved poppyheads with inscriptions. Probably 18th-century raised and fielded wainscot panelling lines the nave. Nineteenth-century choir stalls in the transept have a pierced frontal. Two benefactors' boards are located in the north transept. Two 19th-century traceried half-glazed doors are inserted beneath the tower arch. A painted inscription above the chancel arch reads: "THIS IS THE HOUSE OF GOD / THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN". The chancel floor is probably 18th-century white and black stone. Nineteenth-century stained glass fills the east window and some aisle windows. A hatchment hangs beneath the tower.

Monuments

The Cotton monument, dated 1606 and attributed to Inigo Jones, is positioned in a recess beneath the tower and is made of alabaster. It has a sarcophagus base with harpies at the corners, a central winged angel and festoons between, two recumbent effigies with the woman holding an infant to her bared breasts, a pair of large flanking Corinthian columns with carved surface ornament and topped by shields, and a back panel flanked by Corinthian pilasters with strapwork and topped by a cornice and scrolled pediment with central shield and flanking putti. Small flanking carved figures are on the wall. An inscription on a panel reads: "FRANCIS ELDEST DAUGHTER TO / SIR ROBERTE NEDHAM OF SHA / VINGTON IN THE COUNTIE OF / SALLOP KNIGHT AND WIFE TO / SR. ROWLAND COTTON OF AL / KINGTON IN THE COUNTIE / KNIGHT DYED IN CHILD BED BE / ING DELIVERED OF A DAUGHTER / WHO LIKEWISE DYED ON SON / DAYE A DAYE OF REST BEING THE / 23rd DAYE OF NOVEMBER ANNO DOMINI / 1606." A small wooden bird hangs on a hook over the monument. A Flemish close helmet (circa 1540–80) once also hung above the monument but is now on loan to the Tower of London.

Other tablets beneath the tower include one (inscription illegible at the time of survey in July 1986) with a triangular pediment, flanking scrolls with carved drops, a base with scrolled brackets, and a central shield with flanking swags. Another tablet commemorates Robert Davison (died 10 October 1772) and his wife Rachel (died 21 August 1762) with a segmental pediment and swags.

A tablet in the north transept to Rowland Cotton of Etwall (died 26 April 1753) and his wife Mary (died 11 December 1761) consists of a large obelisk with scrolled brackets, flanking urns, a cartouche in the centre, and a base with inscription and moulded cornice. Other 18th-century and early 19th-century memorial tablets are present. A monument to Samuel and Barbara Davison was erected in 1757 by William Baker of Audlem (1705–1771).

Two sepia photographs of the church after the 19th-century restoration are on display in the vestry, along with a drawing of a house (probably the old vicarage).