Holy Angels
Hoar Cross, Staffordshire
This amazing gothic revival church is quite a surprising find in a remote hamlet in rural Staffordshire and is one of the finest examples of the work by GF Bodley.
Situated on an elevated site above the river Blythe and surrounded by fields, the Grade I listed church and its churchyard are located on the edge of a small manorial complex of 16th century Grade II* listed buildings accessed from a small village by a 250m track. Partly constructed in 1120, much of the present church was built in the 14th and 15th centuries of ashlar sandstone under lead-covered Tudor oak beam roofs over the nave and chancel and lower north and south aisles.
Inside, there are extensive stained glass windows some from the 14th century and carved oak 15th and 16th century parclose screens. The painted reredos thought to be rood screen fragments feature rare iconography depicting the seven Sheddings of Christ defaced during the civil war.
In August 1806 Jane Austen with her mother and sister visited her cousin the rector Edward Cooper and stayed for 6 weeks. During this time the church and its locality inspired the village of Delaford in ‘Sense & Sensibility’ while her cousin is thought to have inspired Mr Collins’ character from ‘Pride & Prejudice’.