Sandon is a village in Staffordshire, about northeast of Stafford. The village is in the

Trent Valley The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...

on the

A51 road The A51 is a road in England which runs for 85 miles (137 km) from Chester, Cheshire to Kingsbury, North Warwickshire. It takes on the following route: *Chester * Vicars Cross * Littleton *Tarvin (bypass opened 1984) *Duddon * Clotton *T ...

Sandon Park

There is a rectangular moated site in Sandon Park, about northeast of the parish church. The site measures about by and the moat varies from to wide. It was the site of the parish's

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, which was the home of the Erdeswick family from 1338 until the middle of the 17th century. The moat site is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. In 1776 Nathaniel Ryder was ennobled as Baron Harrowby. He commissioned the architect

Samuel Wyatt Samuel Wyatt (8 September 1737, Weeford, Staffs. – London, 8 February 1807) was an England, English architect and engineer. A member of the Wyatt family, which included several notable 18th- and 19th-century English architects, his work was prima ...

to transform the manor house into Sandon Hall and the landscape gardener

William Emes William Emes (1729 or 1730–13 March 1803) was an English landscape gardener. Biography Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. He left this post ...

to create a park. Creating the park involved demolishing Sandon village, which was close to the house and parish church, and building a new village further away from the house and church. In 1848 a workman on the roof of Sandon Hall accidentally set the building on fire, which caused such damage that it had to be demolished. The current Sandon Hall is a Jacobethan country house of nine bays built for Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby in 1852. It was designed by the Scots Baronial architect

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred ...

— apart from the conservatory, which was added in 1864. Sandon Hall is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of All Saints was built in about 1200 and almost completely rebuilt about 1300. The north

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

was built in the 14th century, but was remodelled in 1851 as a family chapel for the Earls of Harrowby. The church was restored in 1923 under the direction of the architect W. D. Caroe. All Saints' is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Bridge (No 83) and Sandon Lock, Trent and Mersey Canal, Staffordshire - geograph

Economic history

The Trent and Mersey Canal passes through the area and was completed in 1777. The

North Staffordshire Railway The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire. The company was based ...

opened the Stone to Colwich Line through Sandon in 1849. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway closed Sandon railway station in 1947 but the railway remains open as part of the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

Amenities

Sandon has a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, the Dog and Doublet Inn, that was designed by the architect Sir Guy Dawber and built in 1906. Sandon has a village shop.

References

{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire

Sandon Park

Parish church

Economic history

Amenities

See also

References