19. St. Michael's Church (C Listed,) 

Opened in August 1837 as a 'Chapel of Ease' in the Parish of Rugeley, it was built of ashlar stone on land given by the 2nd Earl Talbot who also donated £125 and the stone from his Weston quarry. The basic cost of the church with pews and front wall, paid to Thomas Trubshaw FSA architect and builder of Little Haywood, was £1,523, but with font, furnishings and all extras the total cost was £1,747.87. Second to Earl Talbot on the list of some 250 contributors to the building and endowment costs, are Elizabeth and Harriet Sneyd of Brereton Hall who also gave the original communion plate and altar cloths; their gravestone can be seen in the churchyard. An Ecclesiastical District was assigned to the church in 1843 and this was constituted Brereton Church Parish in 1856.

Whereas the original building was of simple cruciform plan with an interior which
had box pews centred around a 2-deck pulpit and reading desk, the present
church owes much of its appearance to major extensions and internal
alterations  initiated by the Rev. Edward Samson during his incumbency from
1874 to 1897, often at his own expense. In particular, in 1878 both side aisles
were added, the interior was re-pewed and the present chancel with its oak
choir stalls was created, all under the direction of renowned architect Sir George
Gilbert Scott at a cost of about £3,000. The chiming clock was added to
commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, with the octagonal tower
being simultaneously raised to accommodate it and four extra bells. The roadside
lychgate and the church porch, respectively of 1884 and 1891, are memorial gifts
of Vicar Samson's family - details carved inside each. The lychgate was moved
back  and over 50 nearby graves were moved elsewhere for road widening in 1971. The churchyard now covers 2.5 acres after being extended 5 times, and in recent years the church has received numerous diocesan awards in 'best kept churchyard' competitions, its maintenance being entirely by volunteers.