St. Luke, Sheen

 
 
Region: Buxton
  
There was possibly a chapel on this site by 1175.  The church goes back to at least 1595. It was rebuilt in 1829 and again in 1852.
 
A picture of a churchA picture of a church
 

Hope’s religious revival

A.J.B. Hope, the patron of the parish after 1850, had ambitious plans for a religious revival in the area.  He paid for the 1852 rebuilding of the church and the effect was said to be like that of ‘an ecclesiastical colony in the wilds of Australia’.  Of course, Hope himself, was joint editor of the journal that said this – the Ecclesiologist.
 
Hope planned for a choir school, but this never materialized.  Nonetheless, the church choir grew to be very successful and, according to the Ecclesiologist (again!), demonstrated ‘the suitability of Gregorian tones or melodies for an uneducated congregation and to a choir of mere rude country boys’.
 
Hope also added a parish reading room and library to the village.

Pretty brass memorial

Look out for the very pretty brass memorial in the church to Mildred Arabella Charlotte Henrietta Beresford-Hope who died in Nice in 1881.
 

Opening status

The church is kept open.  There is a pub in the village.
 

Visit this church by public transport

Public transport information for all locations can be found by calling Traveline on 0871 200 2233.
 
To plan your journey to Sheen, visit the Staffordshire journey planner.