St. Mary's Church, Stafford,

Description:The Collegiate Church of St. Mary is the parish church of Stafford. The present building is a mixture of genuine medieval and the work of Sir George Gilbert Scott, who restored the church in 1841 - 1844 who restored the church in 1841 - 1844 in what he imagined to be its original style.

Originally the church possessed a spire, but it was blown down in 1593 during a storm, bringing with it part of the choir roof.

As was common with many churches, the public used the nave of the church for their worship, while the deans and canons of the college used the chancel. With the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, this practice ceased but it was not until the 1840s that the screen dividing the two parts of the church was removed.

The railings surrounding the churchyard were removed in the Second World War as a contribution to the towns scrap metal drive.

Today the tombstones have been removed and re-laid near the boundary wall. The churchyard has been levelled and grassed over as a Garden of Remembrance, the outline of an old chapel, St. Bertelin's, traced in stone at the west end.