Stoke Minster

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We made a visit to Stoke Minster, also known as St.Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in chains) church. The church and churchyard have a fascinating history dating back to 670AD, when a wooden church was erected on the grounds. This was replaced by the first stone church in 805AD, with the remains of part of the stone Saxon cross still standing in the churchyard. The Saxon baptismal font can be found inside the church itself and is still in use today.

The arches from the 13th century chancel are also still standing and the grave of Josiah Wedgwood lies in front of them. Nearby, the remains of the original altar can also be found.

Wedgwood was not the only master potter to worship at the church, Josiah Spode was also a parishioner and his grave, along with his family members can also be found here.

The “modern” church that we see today was built in 1830, as the original church was no longer large enough to cope with the growing congregation. Unfortunately, the church was closed so we were unable to see inside on this occasion. However, John and I have had a tour of the inside of the church on a previous occasion, and that too has a fascinating history.

Accessibility wise, the churchyard has smooth pathways to get around, however to get a good look at some of the items of historical interest, you do need to cross some grass. From memory, some parts of the inside of the church are difficult to access due to the age of the building.

If you have an interest in history, Stoke Minster is definitely worth a visit.