Sir Christopher Wren's connection to St Mary's church, Ingestre

 On a visit to Staffordshire, we made a detour to the Ingestre golf course where hubby had recently played & won in a tournament. He had spied a church on the estate & wanted to see more.

The estate on which the golf course is, has so many interesting cottages, buildings & a church that is the only church outside of London attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, the acclaimed architect of St Paul's Cathedral in London & many others rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The church details are as such ... 

The Church to the south-east of the house dates to 1673, and is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. The formal gardens of that time are extensive. There is a large wilderness on the hill above to the west, and a parterre towards the park to the north.

The inside is absolutely beautiful with impressive tombs & monuments to the Earls of Shrewsbury & other members of the Chetwynd, Talbot & Chetwynd-Talbot families. 

Some of the church windows come from the original church before it was remodelled by Sir Christopher Wren; they are not as bright as the later ones. Some windows were Victorian & were made in the workshops of William Morris, the leader of the Arts  & Crafts Movement. These reflect the richness of the pre-Raphaelite colours.

The cemetery around the church is fascinating too with many family plots & impressive headstones. 

I was touched by this tribute to a teacher.  How amazing to be recognised for his dedication to his profession. It is some thing us educators aspire to; to have our contribution acknowledged. 

A very interesting time soaking in history in this small church set in an estate n that would have been hugely influential in its time. 

I hope you have enjoyed the visit with me, do stop by again, subscribe & share the link please. 

Dee