Wren, Pearce, and St. Mary’s: Ingestre parish church and its roofs

This paper was prompted by a survey of the roofs over the nave, aisles and chancel before and during the recent restoration programme at St Mary’s Church at Ingestre (Staffordshire). The project re-opened the question of who designed and built the church, and how the craftsmen involved could be secured to work on the building at a time when the Fire of London had created such a high demand for their skills in the capital. Commissioned by Walter Chetwynd, St Marys was built between 1672 and 1676. The circumstantial evidence that Sir Christopher Wren was the architect is discussed, along with the possibility that Edward Pearce might have been available to control the work on site, and this reflects some of the complexities of the mid-17th-century building industry. The roofs are described, with particular reference to the carpentry and metal fixings.