St. Michael's Church, Stone

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No 3 - St. Michael's Church, Stone

St. Michael's - c.1900

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.

In the churchyard can be found the mausoleum of the Earl of St. Vincent, Nelson's Admiral, and the tombs of the Crompton family.

The porch holds two thirteenth century priory effigies and the interior contains its original box pews.

© Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service

Staffordshire Past Tracks

"The parish church of Stone, St. Michael's, was built in 1753-8 by William Robinson of the Board of Works, and William Baker. It is an early example of Gothic Revival, plain and solid in concept without any architectural frills or ornamentation.

The interior is particularly interesting and has some fine stained glass which depicts saints and persons connected with Stone and its ecclesiastical past. There is a painting of the Archangel Michael by Sir William Beechey, R.A., which was commissioned by Sir John Jervis and presented to the church in 1805, various plate, memorials, some original box-pews and other interesting features.

The church was consecrated by Frederick, Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, on June 21st, 1758, and cost in the region of £5,000 one-third of which was raised by the sale of pews.

The origins of the church and Stone go back to the time when Wulfhere, King of Mercia (657-674), put his two sons to death because of their belief in the Christian faith. Their mother had the bodies interred beneath a great pile of stones and later on erected a church on the site.

The church and its community flourished until the 9th century when the invading Danes swept through the land wreaking havoc and destruction. In the 12th century Geoffrey de Clinton purchased land on what is now part of the present church gardens on which to found the Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Wulfad.

The priory grew and prospered until the 13th century when it succeeded in becoming independent from Kenilworth Priory, which had been in control since its inception. The Stone Priory was suppressed in 1537, and the site and properties sold in 1538. The 12th century Priory Church remained and continued as a place of worship until 1749 when, in a dreadful state of repair, it finally collapsed; the present church was built as a replacement."

Neville Malkin 15th January 1975

St. Michael's interior - 1993

An interior view looking towards the chancel taken from the north gallery.

western range of Stone Priory
western range of Stone Priory

"This is part of a sub-vault of the western range of Stone Priory. It is incorporated in the cellars of the large Georgian house called The Priory, which stands on Lichfield Street, just to the south of St. Michael & St. Wulfad's Church.

The Augustinian Priory at Stone was founded in the 12th century, possibly around 1138-47, and was set up as a daughter-house of Kenilworth Priory in Warwickshire. It was a small community, with 8 canons and two novices in 1521. The house was dissolved in Spring 1537 and the site purchased by William Crompton, citizen and mercer of London.

The Priory Church continued to be used as the Parish Church until it was demolished and replaced by the current church of St. Michael & St. Wulfad in 1758."