St Bartholomew's Church, Tong
| St Bartholomew's Church, Tong | |
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| St Bartholomew's Church, Tong | |
| Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, Tong "The Westminster Abbey of The Midlands" |
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St Bartholomew's church seen from the south
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 St Bartholomew's Church, Tong
Position within Shropshire
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| Coordinates: 52°39′49.9″N 2°18′12.6″W / 52.663861°N 2.303500°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ795073 |
| Location | Shropshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | St Bartholomew's, Tong, Shropshire |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | de Pembrugge family |
| Dedication | St Bartholomew |
| Architecture | |
| Status | parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I Listed |
| Designated | 26 May 1955 |
| Architect(s) | Ewan Christian (restoration) |
| Style | Gothic |
| Years built | 1409–1430 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 103 feet 10 inches (31.65 m) |
| Nave width | 45 feet 11 inches (14.00 m) |
| Height | 25 feet 9 inches (7.85 m) |
| Materials | New Red Sandstone, Sherwood Sandstone Group |
| Bells |
ring of 6, plus service and bourdon bells |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Tong |
| Deanery | Edgmond and Shifnal |
| Archdeaconry | Salop |
| Diocese | Lichfield |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Prebendary | The Reverend Prebendary Pippa Thorneycroft (incumbent) |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 26 May 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1053606 |
The Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, Tong (also known as St Bartholomew's Church) is a 15th-century church in the village of Tong, Shropshire, England. It was built on the site of a former church and was constructed as a memorium but became the place of worship for the families who possessed Tong Castle, which lay just to the south-west. The church is celebrated for its architecture, design and layout, particularly for the fan vaulting in a side chapel which is rare in Shropshire. St Bartholomew's has gained many tombs and effigies over the years for its congregation (mostly nobles and their families), with the most famous being the Stanley Monument which is inscribed with epitaphs specially written for the inhabitants by William Shakespeare.
The church was the site of a minor skirmish during the English Civil War and also hosts the reputed grave of Little Nell from Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, despite the character being entirely fictitious. The building is grade I listed and had its lead roof replenished with steel during 2017 to deter thieves. Due to its many monuments inside the church and ornate architecture, it is sometimes labelled as The Westminster Abbey of The Midlands, often featuring as one of the best churches in The Midlands and in England.
The site of St Bartholomew's Church has been a place of worship since the time of the Domesday Book with a permanent building, tied to the Abbey of Shrewsbury, being built in 1260.Roger de Montgomery, who owned the land, built the precursor of the existing church in 1087. The present church was started in 1409 (or 1410) by Isabel de Pembrugge in memory of her husband Sir Fulke de Pembrugge and also as a place to say Mass for him and her other two husbands (Sir Thomas Peytevin and Sir John Ludlow) who all predeceased her. At the same time, Dame Isabel had almshouses built at the western end of the church that would house 13 people. The almshouses (also known variously as the hospital) were abandoned and rebuilt off-site in Tong village in the late 18th century. The derelict almshouses were destroyed in the 19th century by the then owner of the Tong estate, Mr George Durant. Only one of the outside walls is left standing today which is grade II listed.
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Wikipedia