St James the Great, Salt, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

St. James the Great in Salt, is a Christian congregation serving the Salt community and seeking, engaging, and encouraging others through a life-changing Christian journey.

We seek to be a loving, friendly community that worships God, and serves others. We place a high priority on teaching from the Bible and following the example of Jesus.

Our vision is to impact and renew Salt and beyond with the transforming message of Jesus Christ through words and actions.

Come as you are - we'd love to get to know you.

St. Peter's Church, Hopton, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

A small church - a big welcome!

We would be delighted to meet you in our small, most welcoming church of St. Peter's, Hopton.

A part of St. James the Great Church in Salt, we share their ethos, however, our building has a very different heritage.

Below is a shortened account of its opening in Easter of 1876. To see the full report please click on "About Us".

Opening Of A Village Chapel At Hopton.

In 1875 this hamlet contains a population of about two hundred inhabitants, who are nearly two miles distant from their Parish Church at Salt. For some years past a great desire has been felt by the people themselves that they could have a little Church built in their village for the aged and infirm as well as for general use, when bad weather or the distance or other reasonable cause interfered with their attendance at Salt. Various circumstances, however, have prevented this plan from being carried out, but for the last year or two the Earl of Shrewsbury, to whom the village belongs, has very kindly made a temporary provision by sending a carriage every Sunday to convey those who most needed such help to Salt Church. A further improvement has now been made, which perhaps in the course of a few years may lead to a still better means being supplied. With the noble Earl's permission, a roomy barn about the centre of the village in the occupation of Mr. E J Mousley, who most kindly gave it up for the purpose, has been converted by Mr. F Ratcliffe, builder, of Stafford, into a simple and seemly Chapel, capable of containing about one hundred persons, where Divine Service may be occasionally performed under license of the Bishop of the Diocese.

St. Rufin's Church, Burston, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

St. Rufin's is a small chapel erected in 1859. The church lies on the path of the Two Saints' Way between Lichfield and Chester, which is marked by an attractive board opposite the entrance to the chapel by the Village Pool.
There is a small parking area adjacent to the chapel.

Ours is a Mission Church in the Parish of Sandon with Burston. As such it shares the same ethos, PCC and Churchwardens as All Saints' Church, Sandon. There is a Burston Committee of the PCC which oversees the running of the Church, whilst local villagers look after the building and support its services.

All Saints' Church, Sandon, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

All Saints’ Church in Sandon is a Christian congregation serving the Sandon community and encouraging others through a life-changing Christian journey.

We seek to serve God by caring for our community, maintaining a Christian presence in Sandon and being an active part of the wider Mid Trent Benefice. We pray for justice and peace and desire to be known by the love and respect we have for one another. We are renowned for our warm welcome to all. We are a popular choice for weddings with couples often choosing Sandon Hall for their reception. We delight in seeing wedding couples return with their baby for baptism.

Our Grade I Listed church building dates from the 12th Century and is listed for a rare survival in this country of an integrated display of post-reformation genealogical paintings on the walls, heraldic glass above the altar and the Erdeswicke family monuments and tombs spanning five generations up to the time of Elizabeth I.

There is also a large Royal Coat of Arms of Charles lI (1660 - 1685) and two 19th Century stained-glass windows by William Wailes in the style of Augustus Pugin, who designed the interior of the Houses of Parliament.

The church building has been through centuries of additions, changes and reconfigurations. It is built of stone with a tile roof, nave with aisles, chancel and perpendicular south-west tower. It has fine arch-braced roofs, a north aisle which was elaborately remodeled in 1851 as a family chapel of the Earls of Harrowby and was well restored by W. D. Caroe from 1923. The font is dated 1669, and there is a Jacobean pulpit with tester.

The communion rail and family pews in the chancel are of Jacobean type. There are numerous good monuments, mainly dedicated to the Erdeswick family, and include four incised alabaster slabs of circa 1600, a large mural monument with a recumbent effigy and of wives kneeling to Samson Erdeswick dated 1603, and designed by himself in 1601. There is a mural monument to George Digby, dated 1675.

The PCC of Sandon with Burston is most fortunate to have received a substantial grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and conserve the heritage features and to carry out essential works to the fabric of the building, thereby securing the future of the church and its rare artefacts for generations to come. The work is being carried out between November 2025 and May 2026.

Alongside the capital works, the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant has provided for a varied and diverse programme of activities running through to 2027 for children and adults to experience the history and heritage of All Saints’. The project offers volunteering opportunities as well.

Our project also includes a number of Bio-Diversity initiatives in the churchyard.

We see our Heritage Project as an important part of our outreach as a worship community.

More information about All Saint’s including the Heritage project can be found on our website at www.sandonallsaints.com

St. John the Baptist Church, Stowe by Chartley, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

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.

Saint Peter's Church, Hixon, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

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.

St. Andrew's Church, Weston upon Trent, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

Welcome to St. Andrew's Church in Weston.

Our lovely 12th century church has a welcoming congregation, fully committed to sharing and spreading the word of God within our village and the wider community. We are equally committed to maintaining the beautiful building and welcoming visitors whether it be for the first time or a return visit. A Norman church which is built of local sandstone. Subsequent restoration has meant that it is now in a style typical of the early 13th century, and the bell tower dates from that period. The church underwent extensive restoration and enlargement in 1872.

Services at St Andrew's take place either at 9-30am or 11-15am with a breakfast service on the fourth Sunday of the month. This service is open from 9-30am where a full English breakfast is on offer, there are also healthy options available. The Lay Led Service starts at 10-00am and is a shorter, more relaxed occasion (no communion).

An activity table and toys are available for children in Church during all services.
Large print service and Hymn Books are available. Our church is accessible to all, with ramps at the entrance and the Chancel. An audio and loop system is in place. There is a toilet in the church room, however it is not accessible to all. Ample parking to the right of the church is available.
Special services take place at St. Andrew's, including Christmas services, Christingle, Easter, Harvest Festival and Nine Lessons and Carols. An outdoor Remembrance Day service takes place at the War Memorial within Weston Village and is always well attended, with hot drinks served in the local pub afterwards.

St James the Less, Fradswell, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

Although there is no regular pattern of worship at the moment, St. James the Less at Fradswell remains very much part of our community. The church and churchyard continue to be cared for by a member of our community, the finances remain in the hands of the Parish Treasurer, and the church keys are held within the parish.

Most importantly, the church remains available for anyone who wishes to use it for funerals, weddings and baptisms. Retired Churchwardens step back into their roles as and when they are required to facilitate these occasions.

Fradswell Church is still here, still cared for and still very much part of our community.

St. Peter's Church, Gayton, part of the Mid-Trent Churches Team

St. Peter's Church is Grade II* listed, was built in the 12th century, and retains the original Norman chancel arch along with several 13th and 14th century features. The nave and tower were rebuilt in 1732, and the church underwent extensive restoration in 1870. The tower houses two bells, one inscribed "Jesus Be Our Spede 1608" cast by Willam Clibury, the other cast in 1748 by Matthew Bagley.
The walls are built from grey sandstone, local hand-made brick and ashlar, although some stonework from the earlier building has been incorporated.