St Augustine's Church, Rugeley

St Augustine's Church is the parish church of Rugeley in Cannock Chase District, Staffordshire, England. It is a grade-II* listed building on Station Road and north of the main town centre towards Rugeley Trent Valley railway station. The church is a replacement of the much older, St Augustine of Canterbury Church which is directly opposite the current church on the western side of Station Road and is now a Site of Special Interest.[2] The old church tower and its associated buildings are grade-II listed,[3]

St Augustine's Church, Rugeley
St Augustine's Church, Rugeley
52.764419°N 1.934779°W / 52.764419; -1.934779
LocationRugeley, Staffordshire,
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Website
History
StatusActive
Founded1823[1]
Founder(s)Bishop of Chester
DedicationSt Augustine
Consecrated1800-1899
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II* listed
Designated1972
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Lichfield
ArchdeaconryLichfield
DeaneryRugeley
ParishCannock and Huntington
The tower of the church from the Trent and Mersey Canal in Rugeley

History

The church was built in 1823 and was officially opened by the Bishop of Chester using the materials of the old church opposite. The reason for the new church being built was due to the old church being too small for the then-growing congregation of the town and surrounding communities. As a result, the church was declared redundant and the newer church was built on the opposite and enlarged to cater to the growing population and practicing Christians. The land for the new church was provided by the First Earl of Lichfield and cost approximately £6,501 (equivalent to £619,428.98 in 2023) to complete and purchasing the land.

The original church

Present day

The original church still stands opposite the modern church as the "Old Chancel" and is used for both tourists and burials at the nearby cemeteries. The modern church is still used as a place of worship and community centre for the wider religious and non religious community of the town and surrounding villages.[4][5]

References
  1. "Cannock Chase Heritage Trail". www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. "Rugeley St Augustine of Canterbury". National Churches Trust.
  3. "REMAINS OF OLD CHURCH OF ST AUGUSTINE, Rugeley - 1178170 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. Oakley, Tom. "Mourners line the streets to say goodbye to war hero George - gallery". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. Hodgkiss, Samuel (9 April 2022). "Tale of Rugeley poisoner dubbed 'greatest villain ever' by Dickens". burtonmail. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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