Explore Hamstall Ridware through two distinct themes: the architectural and artistic history of St Michael and All Angels, and the remains of Hamstall Hall. There are also walking routes with named connections between roads, settlements and parish boundaries. Historical details and route descriptions sit side by side, without telling the same part of the local story.

Church and art spanning several centuries

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates from Norman times. Its furnishings, however, bring together evidence from different centuries. The medieval paintings on wooden panels include painted panels from the 14th century depicting the life of Christ. They may have been part of the rood screen. The Cotton tomb is also a notable historical landmark: it dates from the reign of Henry VIII.

Further points of interest can be found in the south chapel, which is dedicated to St Cecilia. Some of its very old stained glass dates from the 14th century. The choir stalls, dating from the 16th century, have a different origin: they came from Lichfield Cathedral. Together, these details show how furnishings and features from different periods come together in the church.

Near the church are also the remains of a sandstone cross shaft. It has an octagonal cross-section and is about three feet long; it is thought likely to date from the 14th century. The path to the church crosses a field—useful to know when finding your way to the site.

Hamstall Hall: surviving structures and traces in the landscape

At Hamstall Hall, both standing remains and traces in the landscape form part of the medieval manor site. These include remains of the manor house and a courtyard. The site is on a gentle slope descending towards the River Blithe. Its setting adds a tangible sense of how the grounds lie in the landscape to the evidence provided by the structures.

The gatehouse at Hamstall Hall is still standing and has two polygonal turrets. The watchtower is a separate structure: it was built in the late 15th or early 16th century. Those interested in historic architecture will find different forms of surviving evidence here—a standing gatehouse, a tower dated to a particular period, and the earthworks and standing remains of the manor house and courtyard.

Walking routes and connections between settlements

According to older records of public rights of way, Hamstall Ridware Footpath 3 runs from Nethertown Road to the boundary between the parishes of Mavesyn Ridware and Hamstall Ridware. According to older records of public rights of way, Hamstall Ridware Footpath 3 and Mavesyn Ridware Footpath 30 form another walking route between the settlements of Nethertown and Pipe Ridware. The descriptions therefore offer two different points of reference: one route to the parish boundary, and one connection between two settlements.

This distinction is useful when planning: the first description gives the road and boundary line, while the second names the places connected by the paths. Check the local route of the footpaths before setting out. This makes it possible to consider route-finding as a separate part of your stay, alongside exploring the church and the history of the manor house.

Discover more destinations: Cheddleton, Leek, Perton, Wetley Rocks, Seisdon, Tutbury, Newcastle Under Lyme, Alton.

For the wider travel guide: Staffordshire.