St Mary's and All Saints' Church, Checkley

St Mary’s and All Saints’ Church stands in the village of Checkley, Staffordshire, as an Anglican place of worship. The building began in the 12th century, with later additions in the medieval and 17th centuries. The tower’s lower stage is 12th-century, while its upper part belongs to the Perpendicular style. A 14th-century porch shelters the south door, and the nave’s clerestory windows date from the 17th century. Inside, the chancel arch is early 13th-century, and the chancel itself is late 13th-century with fine intersecting tracery in its windows. The church holds notable medieval features such as the 12th-century font, carved with a Lamb of God and geometric panels. Three Anglo-Scandinavian stone crosses stand in the churchyard, close to their original positions. They are thought to mark the graves of three bishops killed nearby. The southern and central crosses are decorated with human figures and plaitwork, while the northern cross remains plain. These crosses rank among the finest of their kind in Staffordshire. Visitors find a quiet churchyard with three standing crosses arranged south of the building. Inside, the nave’s north arcade is 13th-century, and the south arcade shows 12th-century origins beneath later remodelling. The chancel’s east window contains 14th-century glass, and the tower’s upper stage rises in Perpendicular style above the older base. The church’s stonework and carvings offer a clear view of its long architectural history.