Church of St Nicholas, Mavesyn Ridware

The Church of St Nicholas stands at the eastern edge of Mavesyn Ridware village in Staffordshire, just north of the Gatehouse of the former Manor House. It sits about 370 metres from the River Trent and is one of only twelve Grade I listed buildings in Lichfield District. The church began in the 12th century and was rebuilt in 1782 after part of the medieval structure was demolished. The surviving north aisle and west tower were joined to a new red-brick nave and polygonal chancel. The church is a rare example of a late 18th-century rebuilding with neo-medieval fittings. The church is worth visiting for its historical layers and notable monuments. Hugo de Mavesyn founded the church in 1140 and his tomb is believed to mark the founder’s position inside. The medieval north aisle, built in the 13th century, contains effigies of two 13th-century knights and tombs of the Mavesyn family. Sir Robert Mavesyn, killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, has a carved effigy there. The church also holds incised slabs for Thomas Cawarden and several Cardons from the 15th and 16th centuries. Inside, the church combines medieval and 18th-century elements. The Norman font with wavy stems and leaves remains from the original building. The tower, built in the 15th century in perpendicular Gothic style, houses eight bells, the latest added in 1999. Steps lead down from the new nave to the lower medieval north aisle. The churchyard contains a Grade II listed chest tomb and a war grave of a Royal Engineers soldier from the First World War.