St Peter's Church, Elford

St Peter's Church, Elford is a parish church in the village of Elford, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The church is situated on the eastern edge of the village on the north bank of the River Tame. The church is a Grade II* Listed Building. A church has stood on the current site since Norman times but the current building predominantly dates from the mid-19th century.HistoryOriginal BuildingsThe earliest known church to be built on the current site was Norman, probably dating from the 12th century. A Norman arch survived in a wall dividing the nave from the south aisle until the restoration of 1848. A small doorway from the original Norman church in the north wall of the nave was bricked up, probably in the 18th century, and a plain window is now set in its place. In the second half of the 14th century the old Norman church was falling into disrepair, and major restorations and alterations to the church took place under the guidance of Sir Thomas Arderne, Lord of Elford at that time.A century later Sir John Stanley added the south aisle and chantry dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ancient roses and portcullises surmounted by crowns in a window of the south aisle signify the connection between the Stanleys and Henry VII, who is said to have met secretly with Lord Stanley at Elford on the night before the Battle of Bosworth Field and persuaded Stanley to desert Richard III and join his side.