Description:The mother church of a large parish. and in existence by 1200. Of C12-early C13 origin but much enlarged and rebuilt completely in the C19. Red sandstone with nave, aisles, chancel & South tower.
It is in a Decorated style. Some of the C19 detailing apparently unfinished. Lower stage of the tower with shallow square buttresses gives evidence of the earliest work, late C12 or early C13. The upper part with crenellated parapet C15.
The C19 rebuilding programme began in 1820 when the first major changes were executed by William Hollins.He rebuilt the North arcade and aisle, adding the spacious North transept and body beyond. The SE chapel in a single
Decorated Gothic style was added in 1826 by Thomas Rickman as a mausoleum to James Watt whose white marble statue it contained. Further alterations and additions followed in 1876-80 altering part of Hollins work to the designs of
J.A.Chatwyn. This comprises the rebuilding of the South aisle and the extension of the body of the church to the West and the chancel to the
East. At this time the North transept was narrowed and an outer North aisle constructed. The North chapel retains an early C16 3-light East window
and a similar one to the North.
In the West end of its North wall, a 4- centred arched doorway opens on to an early C18 porch. There is a reset early C14 piscina East of the arcade. The South chapel with simple early C19 Gothic detail including a vaulted ceiling and East window. In the West wall of the tower giving on to the South aisle is a small blocked round headed window with moulded string over seemingly late C12 origin.
Among the furnishings are a good wall monument by Flaxman consisting of a bust of Matthew Boulton, 1809 with 2 putti below. Monument to William Murdoch; minor monuments by William and Peter Hollins. Removal of the 19th-century floor tiles at the west end of
the south aisle in advance of re-laying revealed that their sandy rubble levelling deposit, 0.25m thick, overlay a sandy loam at least 0.5m thick which contained many fragments of human bone. This represents part of the former graveyard over which the church was
extended in the 19th century.
The image is from the Warwickshire Photographic Survey and is courtesy of Local Studies in Central Library.