Description:The parish church of the Holy Cross has Saxon, Norman and Early English features and was restored by Gilbert Scott in 1855-56. It contains the tomb of St Bertelin or Bertram, who is believed to have spent part of his life living as a hermit near to Ilam. He died in about 710AD and was much venerated in Staffordshire during the Middle Ages. An octagonal memorial chapel was added to the church during the 19th century as a memorial to David Pike Watts, the father in law of Jesse Watts Russell. It contains a spectacular monument by the sculptor, Sir Francis Chantrey.
The distinctive flat-topped profile of Thorpe Cloud can be seen in the distance.
Postcard image copyright National Trust. Photographer: Andrew Butler.