All Saints' Church Tower - Church Lawton, Stoke- on- Trent, Staffordshire.
N 53° 05.919 W 002° 16.081
30U E 549011 N 5883494
This church is a Grade 11 listed building and has a Perpendicular tower that dates from the 16th century.
Waymark Code: WMV43P
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/20/2017
Views: 5
The tower at the west end of the building dates from the 16th century and is built of red and buff sandstone in Perpendicular style. On the south face of the tower are carved a chalice and the initials "I. B.". These initials are those of the parish priest of the time, John Bybber. The bell openings contain Y-tracery.
Lawton Church is justly proud of its peal of eight bells which are still in full use.
Five were installed in 1713, having been cast by R D Saunders of Bromsgrove, and are inscribed with the names of their respective doners, namely the "iron-masters of Lawton furnace", "William Lawton Esq.", "Thomas Rowlry and James Beech, Church Wardens", and "John Lawton Esq., Patron", and "Charles Shaw, Rector"
A 6th bell was added in 1882 and the old five re-hung in a new cast iron frame. The present peal was completed in 1901 by the addition of two treble bells cast by Taylors of Loughborough. These bear the names of "A Rigby of the Grove", "The Parishioners and Friends of Church Lawton" and the "Queen Victoria Memorial Bell".
In the year 1798 the nave of the church was destroyed by fire, although the tower survived. The opportunity was then taken to re-build a more substantial building and this was done by the use of stone from Smallwood, bricks from Burslem and timber from Liverpool Docks. The total cost of restoration came to about £800 which was finally paid off by 1813. Source: (
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