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Summary

The present parish church of St Lawrence was built in 1871-2 by AP Brevitt. Red sandstone, some yellow sandstone dressing, tile roof.

Monument Type(s):

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 2050 AD)

Description

There was perhaps a chapel in Darlaston from at least the 12th century. The earliest mention of a priest here was in 1310. (1) The medieval church probably lay on the same site as the present church. In 1563 the church at Darlaston in the Diocese of Tamworth was a rectory with no annexed chapels. (2) The list of rectors dates back to 1406. (3) Stebbing Shaw describes the church in the 18th century as being 27 yards long and 11 yards wide. The north side of it was pulled down and the church was enlarged and rebuilt in brick in 1721. The tower was situated at the west end of the church. It had replaced an earlier timber tower in 1606. A school was built in the churchyard in 1793. (4)

The present parish church of St Lawrence was built in 1871-2 by AP Brevitt. Red sandstone, some yellow sandstone dressing, tile roof. W tower with spire, nave with clerestory, N & S aisles, N & S transepts & lower chancel. Tower has diagonal buttresses, moulded pointed bell openings of 2 cusped lights, pierced parapets with central clock faces & corner pinnacles. Stone spire has lucarnes of 2 trefoiled lights. Against w side of tower are single-storey C20 additions. Aisles are 5 bays separated by buttresses, 2 tiers of 2-light windows, upper ones with depressed 2 centred heads. S transept: rose window above pointed doorway with angle shafts. E window 4 lights, plate tracery. Int: 5-bay nave arcades of pointed arches on cast iron columns with spiral decoration. W, N & S galleries have timber fronts with blank arcading. Nave roof has scissor braced collar trusses. Chancel roof has truss with kingpost rising from arch braced collar. Aisles & chancel contain reset EC19 wall tablets, Painted pulpit in Gothic style has cast iron steps. E window contains LC19 glass. (5) (6)

Archaeological watching brief during groundworks for a car park extension revealed no archaeological features or finds. (7) (8)

<1> Cockin, Tim, 2000, The Staffordshire Encyclopaedia, 172 (Bibliographic reference). SBL6884.

<2> Salt W, 1915, Coll for Hist of Staffs, 80 (Bibliographic reference). SBL5184.

<3> Jones B, 1958, Rector of Darlaston (Unpublished document). SBL1896.

<4> Shaw, Stebbing, 1801, The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, 92 (Bibliographic reference). SBL5321.

<5> Pevsner Nikolaus, 1974, Buildings of England: Staffordshire, 296 (Bibliographic reference). SBL5243.

<6> DoE, 1986, 6/28 (DoE Statutory List). SBL1895.

<7> Warwickshire Museum Field Services, 2005, Archaeological Observation at St Lawrence's Church, Darlaston, West Midlands (Bibliographic reference). SBL7147.

<8> CBA West Midlands, 2005, West Midlands Archaeology (Bibliographic reference). SBL7586.

Sources and Further Reading

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