Brewood - Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Chad

The Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Chad dates from the 13^th century with later additions. The aisles are wide, making the nave, which has five bays, very square in appearance. Major changes took place in the 14th and 16th centuries, with the height of the nave being raised greatly, necessitating large alterations to the aisles. This greatly altered the cross-section of the building, with lean-to roofs on the aisles replacing the original gabled design.

Once again major structural changes were forced through and the chancel was rebuilt in brick, with Venetian windows installed. In the 1770s, amid great controversy in the parish vestry,. First the roof was completely stripped off and a new one fitted a single pitch construction which covered both the nave and its aisles, and which greatly reduced the height of the building. Then the north and south doors were stopped up, their porches demolished, and the west door adopted as the entrance. In 1815 the galleries were altered to take a new organ, and from 1827 to 1830, nearly all the old furnishings and fittings were ripped out and replaced, along with the font.