Nathaniel Lister transformed Armitage through the creation of Armitage Park, later Hawkesyard Hall, and by influencing the route of the Trent & Mersey Canal. Yet his story extends far beyond the parish. Gentleman, parliamentarian and member of Lichfield’s literary circle, Lister laid the foundations for a family whose descendants would make significant contributions to politics, literature and public life.
Tag: Armitage
Medieval Hawkesyard
For more than two centuries the medieval history of Hawkesyard has rested largely on the account of Stebbing Shaw. But does the evidence really support his conclusions? Drawing on heraldry, medieval records and newly examined sources, this article re-examines the origins of Hawkesyard, the de Rugeley family and the lost manor itself, revealing a story that is both richer and more surprising than previously believed.
One Hundred Years Ago in the Parish: June 1925
Step back to June 1925 and discover everyday life in Armitage and Handsacre a century ago. From smoky bottle kilns, crystal wireless sets and cricket matches to church events, dances, road accidents and the founding of the local Buffs Lodge, this article recreates a single month in the life of the parish. Together these contemporary stories reveal a community on the brink of modern change while still firmly rooted in Victorian traditions.
Derek Spencer’s Story – a 99-Year-Old Veteran
Derek Spencer, a 99-year-old Armitage veteran, recalls a remarkable life—from boyhood adventures and wartime service across the globe to decades working in local industry. A vivid storyteller, Derek’s life reflects both national history and village change, offering a rare window into 20th-century Rugeley and Armitage life.
From Fiddles to Pipes: The Musical History of St. John the Baptist Church
Before St. John’s possessed its famous organ, worship was accompanied by fiddles, bassoons and village musicians. This article traces the church’s musical journey from Georgian church bands and singing lofts to the arrival of the historic Samuel Green organ, later selected for an internationally acclaimed Handel recording and still filling the church with music today.
St. John the Baptist Church Tower
The church tower has watched over Armitage for almost four centuries, yet its history is far more complex than it first appears. Inscriptions, drawings, restoration reports and architectural evidence reveal how the tower has evolved through rebuilding, changing bell installations and successive repairs while remaining the oldest substantial part of St. John the Baptist Church.
Restoring Faith: The Resilient History of St. John the Baptist Church
By the mid-18th century, St. John the Baptist Church faced the toll of centuries of wear. Essential repairs began in 1752, restoring the roof and steeple, but by the 1840s, larger reconstruction was necessary. With the population growing and the church in disrepair, the nave and aisles were rebuilt, blending Norman and Gothic styles.
From Hermit’s Haven to Parish Landmark: The Ancient Church of Armitage
Step inside St. John the Baptist Church as it appeared in the 1790s. Using Stebbing Shaw’s contemporary description, this reconstructed tour brings the medieval building to life, exploring its Romanesque doorway, ancient font, painted glass and other features lost during the nineteenth-century rebuilding.
A Historic Chapel’s Transformation: From Worship to Cannabis Factory to Home
Built in 1820 as a private Congregational chapel, this Grade II listed building has witnessed two centuries of changing fortunes. Drawing on architectural evidence, historical records and recent conservation work, this article traces its evolution from place of worship to neglected shell, its brief and extraordinary use as an industrial-scale cannabis factory, and its eventual rescue through sympathetic conversion into a family home.
John Webb, Landscape Designer to the Gentry
A weathered sandstone monument in Armitage churchyard marks the resting place of John Webb, one of the Midlands’ leading landscape designers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Researched by local historian Roy Fallows, this article traces Webb’s career from Derbyshire to the great country estates of England, revealing his work at places such as Shugborough, Weston Park and Teddesley before his final years at Lea Hall.