Christ Church - Cobridge

William Adams, of Cobridge Hall, promised to donate £250 towards the cost of a new Anglican church at Sneyd Green near to his house but nothing came of this proposal before his death in 1831.

His sons and daughters took no interest in this scheme but Edward Wheildon, appointed Rector of Burslem by William Adams was responsible for bringing the proposal to fruition. He was largely instrumental in the construction of Christ Church, Cobridge, as a chapel of ease to St John’s Church.

The total cost was £2,300 according to the Census of Places of Religious Worship half of which was provided by the Rev E Wheildon out of the revenues of his rectory. The Incorporated Society provided a grant of £300 and £400 came from the Lichfield Diocesan Church Extension Society and the rest by subscription.

A parish consisting of Cobridge, Sneyd Green, and Abbey Hulton was created out of St John’s parish in 1844. The church is built of yellow brick in simple Gothic style and was designed by Lewis Vulliamy according to the Victoria County History (Vol VIII, p.124) and by L G Hales, a local brass founder, according to Pevsner. The church was enlarged and ‘beautified’ in 1845-6, and the chancel was extended in 1900.

In 1851 there were 561 seats, 347 free seats and 214 rented.

Attendance on 30 March 1851 was 262 in the morning and 304 in the afternoon.

The extract from the 1878 Ordnance Survey map also shows vicarage built in 1851 at a cost of £900. The school behind was opened as a “National” school in 1857.