The ‘old church’ in Barlaston
© Photograph by courtesy of the Trustees of the Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
photo: © Geoff Pick May 2003 and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
pen drawing by Neville Malkin - July 1975
The original church, situated adjacent to Barlaston Hall, is the oldest of all the local features, dating back to the 13th Century. The Church of St. John the Baptist is a small sandstone Gothic structure probably built originally in the 1200’s but no definitive records exist to give any precise dates. What is known is that only the South tower remains of the original structure, the main body of the church being rebuilt from 1886 to 1888. A gallery was added in 1930 and a vestry on the north side of the bell tower in 1969. Set into the south wall there is a beautiful simple sundial which appears to have been rescued from a building pre-dating the church and which has incised Roman numerals.
The church was forced to close in 1980 due to significant cracks appearing in the supporting walls resulting from deep mining at Hem Heath Colliery. Subsidence also threatened Barlaston Hall next to the church. The magnificent stain-glass windows and bells from the bell tower were removed and relocated to the new church built lower down the village on Station Road.
The old Church - St. John's Church is situated close to Barlaston Hall.
The earliest part of the church is the tower, dating from the twelfth century; the remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1888.
Set into the south wall is a sundial, inscribed 'J. Aston, Church Warden'. Inside are memorials to the Wedgwood family.
The building was closed in 1980 after subsidence caused cracks in the masonry.
Neville Malkin 23rd July 1975 wrote:
Just south of the city (Stoke-on-Trent) is the sandstone church of St. John, Barlaston, which, along with its next door neighbour Barlaston Hall, presents one of the most picturesque architectural duos in the area. The church is in well-kept grounds among a profusion of trees.
The only remaining part of an earlier church is the west tower, which probably dates from the 1200s; the main body was completely rebuilt in 1886-8. On the north side of the tower a very good vestry was added in 1969.
There is a beautifully simple and straightforward sundial set into the south wall which, I would imagine, was rescued from some earlier building. It has incised Roman numerals and the inscription, J. Aston, Church Warden.
The earliest reliable mention I could find concerning a church or chapel at Barlaston occurs in a privilege granted by the Pope in 1162 which confirms the status and possessions of Trentham Priory, with the parish church of Trentham and its dependencies heading the priory's possessions; these dependencies included Barlaston, Betley, etc.
Understandably, the canons were careful to protect their major source of income, but, as time went by, many wealthy landowners sought to build new chapels; by the early 13th century, Barlaston, which was part of Trentham parish, had its own chapel in the patronage of the Lord of the Manor.
In 1225 the advowson of this chapel was granted by John Fitz Philip, to the canons on the understanding that they maintained a resident chaplain at Barlaston to celebrate divine service, bury the dead, and baptise the children of parishioners.