Church of St Chad

Church of St Chad, Seighford

The Church of St Chad is a parish church that originated in the 12th century, substantially rebuilt and remodelled in the 18th century, and restored in the early 20th century. The church retains its original 12th-century nave with chancel, to which a north aisle was added in the 14th and 15th centuries. A crossing tower existed until its collapse around 1610. In 1748, following the tower's loss, the nave and chancel were remodelled and a new west tower was built in the position of the former first bay of the nave. The south aisle was removed at the same time. Restoration of the roofs and installation of new seating was undertaken in 1904 by W.D. Caröe, the London architect.

The church is constructed of freestone in local red and grey sandstone with hand-moulded brick, and has tile roofs. The plan comprises a nave with lower and narrower chancel, north aisle, and west tower.

The exterior of the nave is Georgian in character, with sawtooth brick eaves and a steep roof. It contains three large pointed windows in freestone surrounds and a stone south-east angle buttress. The three-stage west tower has clasping buttresses with plain recessed panels, an embattled parapet, and stone corner pinnacles. All openings have freestone surrounds. The high segmental west doorway is fitted with a studded door. The south window contains two round-headed lights with sunk spandrels beneath a square head. The second stage contains pointed windows to the south and west, while the upper stage has two-light openings with Y-tracery and louvres above clock faces.

The chancel is of stone but features 18th-century brick sawtooth eaves. The south wall has a sill band carried over a priest's doorway. The left-hand bay contains a square-headed two-light window, above which the head of an earlier square-headed window remains visible. The right-hand bay has a three-light Perpendicular window. The round-headed east window with keystone dates to 1748. The east wall of the aisle, which aligns with the chancel's east wall, has a similar but offset window. The aisle's north wall has sawtooth brick eaves and four three-light Perpendicular windows arranged in two groups on either side of where the original crossing tower stood. At the east end is a restored 18th-century segmental-headed doorway, and at the west end a blocked and half-glazed pointed doorway. The west window resembles the east window and is positioned below a blocked former doorway, possibly to a gallery. The west gable is of brick. Rainwater heads are dated 1748.

The 12th-century form of the church is evident from the interior. The east and north arches of the original crossing have survived. The east arch, now serving as the chancel arch, has one order of nook shafts and scalloped capitals with a frieze of arches on the label. The north arch displays similar detail and is separated from the three-bay north arcade by a short section of wall. This arcade features round piers, scalloped capitals, and double stepped arches; the westernmost bay was closed off when the tower was built in 1748 and is only visible within the aisle.

The nave roof was designed by W.D. Caröe and incorporates two bracketed tie beams supporting narrower arched braces, with the outer sides infilled with open tracery. Subsidiary arched-brace trusses are also present. The chancel roof has two cambered tie beams and crown posts with four-way bracing, leading to a canted boarded ceiling with a billet cornice. The aisle retains an unrestored seven-bay tie-beam roof with diagonal struts. The north wall of the chancel contains a segmental-pointed arch of excessive span, which replaced a two-bay arcade but retains 14th-century polygonal responds. A small piscina with basin features an 18th-century round head. The nave walls are plastered, while the chancel and aisle have exposed stone walls, revealing a blocked 14th-century chancel north window. The nave, aisle, and tower have 20th-century tiles with parquet floors beneath benches, and the chancel floor is stone-paved.

The font is 17th-century Gothic work brought to the church in the late 19th century from Christ Church in Stafford. The pulpit is Jacobean in origin with steps and pedestal dating to its 1903 restoration. The nave benches and choir stalls have ends with two fielded panels. The south side of the chancel contains the Eld family box pew of approximately 1748, which also features fielded panels. A 17th-century communion rail has turned balusters. A Royal Arms above the chancel arch is dated 1856.

The church contains several impressive monuments. A Renaissance tomb chest with recumbent effigies of William Bower (died 1593) and his wife Mercy is located in the north aisle, though not in its original position. The north and west sides of the chest are decorated with figures including men in ruffs and a swaddled child. Above, on a corbel, is a stone roundel bearing armorial bearings. In contrast, a simple wall tablet to Edward Bower (died 1652) displays Tuscan pilasters executed in a rustic manner. The chancel east wall contains a wall monument to Francis Elde (died 1722) with Ionic pilasters, entablature, and achievement. A large inscription tablet to the Eld family is surmounted by a tall two-dimensional obelisk commemorating Francis Eld (died 1777). Two Eld family hatchments are also present. Fragments of medieval glass appear in tracery lights, and the church contains several late 19th and 20th-century stained-glass windows.

The churchyard contains several high-quality 18th and 19th-century memorials, including the headstone of Elizabeth Tilsley (LBS no 444162).

Seighford was a substantial church in the late 12th century, featuring an aisled nave and crossing tower. The chancel was extended in the 13th or 14th century. The north aisle was rebuilt in the 14th century and extended to the length of the chancel in the 15th century. The crossing tower collapsed in 1610, and by 1722 the body of the church was described as very ancient. The major remodelling of 1748 involved the rebuilding of the aisle and chancel and the construction of a new nave and west tower in the position of the first bay of the former nave. The south aisle also disappeared at this time. The 1904 restoration by W.D. Caröe (1857–1938) focused on roof repairs and the installation of new seating.