St. Chad was an Anglo-Saxon who lived in the 7th century and whose initial Christian Training took place on Lindisfarne. He came eventually to Lichfield as Bishop of the Mercian Saxons.
St. Chad’s church dates back to Norman times, the main building dating back to around 1080. Prior to this, there may have been an even earlier Saxon church on the site, or possibly an even earlier pagan worship site, but neither of these is definitely known. The chancel of the present Church was rebuilt in the 13th century and the tower rebuilt in the 16th century in the perpendicular style. The Church underwent a major interior refit in Victorian times, this also including an exterior arch linking the church with parish rooms and a rectory of the times (both demolished in the 1960s though the arch still remains).
Among the things to look for in the Church is the East window of beautiful coloured glass and thought to date from the time of Henry VIII. The arms of the Plantagenet Kings of England, together with the names of Mercian and Saxon kings, look down on the nave, representing all who through the centuries have lived, worked and worshipped in this part of England.
The nave pews have carved ends with the motto of Oxford University on each. The choir stalls and panelling are Jacobean and were probably put in as part of the Victorian refit. Just inside the door is a fine alabaster memorial (thought to be by the famous architect, Inigo Jones) to Sir Rowland Cotton, his wife Frances and their infant daughter who died in 1606. The 12th or 13th century font, made from Caen Stone and Galway Marble, which previously stood here now stands outside the Church entrance.