St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Stowe by Chartley, Staffordshire.

Stowe-by-Chartley is an attractive small village situated off the A518 between Stafford and Uttoxeter and has a population of about 460. It has historical associations with Chartley Castle and Mary, Queen of Scots, who was a prisoner at the Manor House from 1585 to 1586, during which time the unsuccessful Babington Plot was conceived. The church of St John the Baptist is of Norman origin and sits squarely in the middle of the village, surrounded by some very old houses, together with a small development of properties built in 1968-1970.

The church is of typical Norman design, as may be seen from the flat buttresses, the south entrance door and the remains of the original Norman base structure. It was probably built around 1150 A.D. and was founded either by Ranulph de Blunderville or Ranulph Gervons, both of whom bore the titles, Earl of Chester and Lord of Chartley. Originally it consisted of just a nave and chancel, with narrow, rounded windows which would have left the interior of the church very dark. Towards the end of the 13th century all the windows, with one exception were replaced with larger ones. In the 14th century the chancel was extended to twice its original length, the present east window was inserted and a tower built at the west end. The main door at the time was in the south wall of the nave where, at some time, a wooden porch was added, remains of which are still evident on the masonry above the door. In 1879 the north wall of the nave was found to be leaning so it was dismantled and re-built outward, using the original stone, to create a north aisle. During these alterations a small Norman door was uncovered and this may be seen in the middle of the extended wall.

On the north wall of the chancel, under a Tudor arch, is the dominating tomb of Sir Walter Devereux and his two wives. He distinguished himself in the French wars in the reign of Henry VIII and was made Viscount Hereford and admitted to the Order of the Garter. Also on the north wall of the chancel are the memorial tablets to General Sir Walter Congreve and his eldest son, William la Touche. The tablets were designed by Sir Edward Lutyens, one of the foremost architects of his day, and commemorate the fact that both father and son had the rare distinction of being awarded the Victoria Cross.

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Get in touch

Our Vicar is The Rev'd Vivienne Starkie.

Associate Miniser The Rev'd Vivienne Starkie
01889 - 271046

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SERVICES AT St. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, STOWE BY CHARTLEY.

Sunday 14 September 2025 Sunday at for 1 hour
St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Stowe by Chartley, Staffordshire.
Station Road Stowe by Chartley Stafford, ST18 0LD, United Kingdom

OUR NEXT SERVICE IS:
14th September Praise Together Holy Communion at 10-00am, St. Peter's Church, Hixon, led by Rev'd Duncan Leake.

OUR OTHER SERVICES:
21st September Harvest Morning Praise at 11-15am, led by Nicola Baskerville.
28th September Holy Communion at 11-15am, led by Rev'd Duncan Leake.
5th October Harvest Holy Communion at 8-00am, St. Peter's Church, Hixon, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie.
12th October Praise Together Holy Communion at 10-00am, St. James the Great Church, Salt, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie and Andy Cooper.
19th October Morning Praise at 11-15am, led by Nicola Baskerville.
26th October Holy Communion at 11-15am, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie.
2nd November Service for All Souls at 11-15am, led by Jenny Brown.
9th November Remembrance Service in Hixon Memorial Hall at 10-40am, led by Tim Moss.
16th November Praise Together Holy Communion at 10-00am, St. Andrew's Church, Weston, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie and Andy Cooper.
23rd November Morning Praise at 11-15am, led by Andy Cooper.
30th November Holy Communion at 11-15am, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie.
7th December BCP Holy Communion at 8-00am, St. Peter's Church, Hixon, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie.
14th December Carol Service at 6-00pm, led by Jenny Brown.
21st December Praise Together Holy Communion at 10-00am, All Saints' Church, Milwich, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie and Andy Cooper.
23rd December Christingle Service at 5-00pm, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie and Kate Tague.
25th December Praise Together Christmas Communion at 9-30am, St. Peter's Church, Gayton, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie and Andy Cooper.
28th December Praise Together Holy Communion at 10-00am, St. James the Less Church, Fradswell, led by Rev'd Vivienne Starkie, Sarah Emery and Andy Cooper.

For services in other churches please click on "Church Services Across Mid-Trent Team" to see our service rotas.
We try to make our church services as friendly as possible. Please don’t worry about getting things ‘wrong’. Even if they notice, people won’t mind. At Communion services, everyone is equally welcome, whether you feel able to share the bread and wine or prefer just to stay seated for a time of quiet. Finally, we are interested in you, not what you are wearing - but note that in the winter it can be difficult to heat our church so you may need to wrap up warm!

Our Team Ministry
News

A Letter from Kate Tague.

I have taken over Viv’s space this month to introduce myself as the new Lay Chair of the Mid-Trent Council which oversees the Mid-Trent Benefice, the collective name for all the parishes that together make up Mid-Trent Churches...............

Read this story

Safeguarding

Our parish of Stowe-by-Chartley: St John the Baptist is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Lichfield’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services.