A SHORT HISTORY OF ST. PETER’S CHURCH, HIXON

The site for the building of the Church was given by Charles, 2nd Earl Talbot, in 1846 and had been previously occupied by a windmill. The foundation stone for the Church was laid on Saturday, 18th July 1846 by the Marchioness Lothian, after which the Honorable Earl Talbot deposited a few coins of the realm under a brass plate bearing a suitable inscription.

The Church was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1846 and the original drawings and plans can still be seen in the County Records Office, in the Shrewsbury papers. The actual construction of the building was carried out by Evans of Ellastone, using for the exterior stone from the quarries of Earl Talbot, which were situated at Tixall and Weston. The major endowment for the Church was from Earl Talbot although a part came from tithe out of the parish of Colwich.

The Church was consecrated on St. Peter’s Day 1848 (Tuesday, 29th June) by the then Bishop of Lichfield, Bishop Sousdale, and was dedicated to St. Peter. The oak chest with the three locks is probably the oldest item and appears to be an original church or tithe chest. The three locks would all have been different and each church warden and the incumbent would have had a key to one of the locks, which ensured that all three had to be present to be able to gain access to the chest. The origin of this chest is unknown but it is believed to have been a gift from Stowe by Chartley.

The East window appears to have been added at a later date, after 1856, as a collection was made for it after the opening of the school on St. Peter’s Day 1856. The reredos was added sometime between 1884 and 1887 and was moved to the West end when the Church was decorated. In 1893 the old harmonium was removed and replaced with the present organ which was built by Nicholson & Lord of Walsall. At the same time several pews were removed from the front of the nave, three from the North side and one from the South. The stained glass window on the South side of the nave in memory of Enoch Broad is of interest as it was made by Meyer of Munich. It is also noteworthy that no two window mullions are the same, the designs having been chosen at random from a pattern book.

On 11th October 1889 at about 4-00 o’clock in the afternoon, whilst four persons were engaged in cleaning the Church after the Harvest Festival, the spire of the Church was struck by lightning and considerable damage was done to the spire and the tower. Some of the masonry fell on to the nave roof but happily no-one was injured and the demolition and the rebuilding of the damaged part was accomplished without any accident. It is interesting to note that the bricks used for this repair came from the Hixon brickworks, being made by Mr. Salt. The cost of all the work was covered by insurance. The Diocesan Surveyor estimated the cost of the repairs at £375.

The war memorial on the North wall of the nave was erected in 1920. Of those who gave their lives in the Second World War, it can be seen that the first four names are of those killed at Hixon airfield and buried in the Churchyard. Although many other personnel lost their lives at RAF Hixon they are not included in the Roll of Honour as their remains were interred either in their home parishes or the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cheshire.

In the 1980’s several pews were removed from the back of the Church to make the present open area.