Pattingham: Church Tower, Trails and Wine

Pattingham combines a historic townscape with a distinctive parish church, traces of designed landscape and paths to neighbouring places. The historic street pattern and buildings shape much of the character of the village; important sightlines extend from the church tower into the surrounding landscape. When choosing a holiday cottage, this mix of themes may help you decide: would you like to focus on architectural history and the townscape, plan walking routes or visit a seasonal wine tour?

Church and historic townscape

The Church of St Chad is a Grade II* listed parish church. Its origins date to the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries; it was restored and extended in 1865. A distinctive architectural feature is the tower, which lies entirely within the church and dates from 1330 to 1380. This dating adds a more precise period to its earlier origins. The churchyard is also part of the historic picture: it contains numerous graves, some of which are centuries old.

In Pattingham’s Conservation Area, the historic street pattern and buildings make a major contribution to the village’s character. Along the High Street, an important sightline leads to the church tower; along Broadwell Lane, an important view opens out onto the surrounding landscape. The townscape and the view therefore sit side by side: one sightline leads to the distinctive church building, the other out into the countryside.

Trails and designed landscape

Walking routes lead through Pattingham to the neighbouring places of Chesterton, Burnhill Green and Ackleton. This gives you specific destinations for days when you would like to explore the area on foot. Pattingham’s road-racing circuit is a separate feature: it is 9.3 miles long and combines country roads, a fast, flat section on a main road and a short climb to the finish. The two examples have different focuses: routes to neighbouring places on the one hand, and a precisely described race circuit on the other.

The designed landscape is also part of the area’s history. In the south of the parish of Pattingham, the cascade and eel trap were incorporated as part of George Pigot’s late-18th-century landscaping of Patshull Park. Pattingham also lies on Keuper sandstone. Together, these details offer insight into two distinct aspects of the landscape: its geological foundation and the features shaped by people.

Seasonal wine tours and local history

Pattingham Vineyard’s outdoor tours run from May to October and provide information about the vines’ growth stages and the winemaking process. Availability is seasonal, so check the dates before your trip. A tour of this kind offers a different focus from the history of the townscape and church, and can provide a separate seasonal option when planning a stay.

For insights into local history, there is also Pattingham’s local history photograph archive, with more than 2,000 images. It can be viewed during Perton Library’s regular opening hours. Those with a particular interest in family history can explore a different resource in the transcribed Pattingham parish registers: they cover baptisms, marriages and burials from 1559 to 1939. Pattingham Local History & Civic Society has arranged paper copies by surname for family history enquiries. This gives interested visitors access to both images documenting local history and historic parish register entries, each offering a different focus.

Discover more destinations: Lichfield, Great Haywood, Stone, Cannock, Combridge, Brocton, Cheddleton, Madeley

For the main travel overview: Staffordshire.