St. Mary's Church is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

Aldridge Aldridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. It is historically, a village that was part of Staffordshire until 1974. The town is from Brownhills, from Walsall, from Sutton Coldfield and from ...

, a town in the

Metropolitan Borough of Walsall The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Walsall, but covers a larger area which also includes Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Darlaston, Pelsal ...

, England. It is operated by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. The church is grade-II* listed. St Marys Aldridge before 1800

Records show that it was built before 1257. Other than the 14th-century tower, all the exterior walls were added or rebuilt between the years 1841–1853. A south vestry was added in 1975. Between 1991 and 1995, the pews and

choir stalls A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the sanctuary, which houses the altar and Church tab ...

were removed. The church has two medieval effigies, of Sir Robert de Stapleton (active 1282–1301), lord of the Manor of

Great Barr Great Barr is a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as ...

and Aldridge; and of a 14th-century priest, possibly Roger de Elyngton. The church's historic records are held at Staffordshire Record Office. Aldridge's

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

stands on the green next to the church. The current Rector is the

Revd The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style given to certain (primarily Western) Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and chu ...

Steve Doel. A 1955 painting of the church by the then Rector, the Rev Ronald William Cartmel, is in the collection of

The New Art Gallery Walsall The New Art Gallery Walsall is a modern and contemporary art gallery in the town of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. It was built with £21 million of public funding, including £15.75 million from the UK National Lottery and additiona ...

References

External links

* Saint Mary's Church of England church buildings in the West Midlands (county) 13th-century church buildings in England Buildings and structures in Walsall {{WestMidlands-struct-stub