St George's Church, Burrington

Burrington, near Ludlow, Herefordshire, England

A village church on the Herefordshire and Shropshire border with a chancel rebuilt by G F Bodley in 1864. Outside its east wall lie eight cast-iron grave slabs of 1619 to 1754, made for the ironmasters who worked the forges on the Teme. The church has been shut since 2016 and the roof is shedding tiles.

Our verdict

About £160,000 for a Bodley chancel and eight iron gravestones cast for the ironmasters of the Teme valley. The roof is falling off it.

I would pay less than they ask and spend the difference on tiles. Put the roof back and this is a dry, small, complete church in good country, with a group of iron slabs outside its east wall that the listing calls unusual.

What is wrong with it

The roof is officially dangerous and the building is taped off.
Plaster is coming down inside and a sheet has been hung under the nave ceiling to catch it.
Shut for ten years.
Nothing is said about water, power or drains.
The Church's own page calls it St James in one sentence and St George in the rest.
The listed iron slabs sit against the wall you would own. Their care will fall to you in practice.

The story

13th centuryA church stood here. The font, probably of the 14th century, is the oldest thing left in it.
1619The first cast-iron slab was laid, over Robert Steward. Iron grave slabs are a mark of an ironworking district. The Bringewood ironworks stood nearby on the Teme.
1658 to 1678Slabs for Joyce Walker, Maria Hare, William Walker and Jane Hare. All but one carry a coat of arms cast in relief.
1701 to 1754Slabs for Jane and Barbara Knight, Richard Knight, who died in 1745, and Ralph Knight. Richard Knight ran Bringewood and built one of the great iron fortunes of the 18th century. The listing says the slabs were probably cast at the family's own works.
About 1855S Pountney Smith of Shrewsbury rebuilt the nave.
1864George Frederick Bodley, then at the start of his career, rebuilt and shortened the chancel. The iron slabs, which had been inside, were left outside the new east wall.
1987Church and slabs were listed.
2016The church was shut.
2026For sale at offers around £160,000, on the Heritage at Risk register at the highest priority.

The Bringewood connection is our addition from standard histories of the iron trade. The listing says only that the slabs were probably made at the Knight family's foundry. Richard Knight's grandson, Richard Payne Knight, built Downton Castle with the money. Check these points before quoting them.

Sources: Historic England, church, list entry 1081799; Historic England, ledger slabs, list entry 1349904; Historic England, Heritage at Risk entry; Church of England listing

What it needs, and what it might cost

Safe and dry: £104,000 to £208,000
Everything on the list: £149,000 to £318,000
Each year after that: £2,500 to £5,000

Historic England says the roof is dangerous, so the roof is priced as a full job. Everything below it looks sound in the photographs.

What the photographs show

The tower is stone to the eaves, then a timber-framed belfry and an octagonal spire covered in shingles. Belfry and spire are grey and weathered but standing straight.
Along the south slope of the nave roof and on the porch, tiles are missing in runs and pale underlay or battens show.
Red and white tape is strung round the porch and along the south wall.
Inside, a white sheet or net is slung under the whole nave ceiling. Plaster is falling into it.
Below the sheet the pews, the tiled aisle, the rood screen and the wall tablets are all in place and look dry.
The walls outside are coursed sandstone with no obvious cracks.

The work, line by line

Now: safe and dry	Rough cost	Based on
Survey and report by a conservation-accredited architect	£4,000 to £8,000	Our assumption
Scaffold, strip and relay the tile roofs of nave, chancel and porch, about 260 square metres, with new battens and repairs to the timber	£80,000 to £150,000	From a public record
Repair the timber belfry and reshingle the spire	£20,000 to £50,000	Seen in the photographs

Next: fabric and glass	Rough cost	Based on
Take down loose plaster and replaster ceilings and walls in lime	£20,000 to £45,000	From a public record
Gutters, downpipes and drains	£5,000 to £15,000	Our assumption

Later: interior and services	Rough cost	Based on
Power, water and a WC, if the use needs them	£20,000 to £50,000	Our assumption

Yearly upkeep, £2,500 to £5,000. Insurance, gutters cleared twice a year, a yearly roof check and care of the iron slabs.

Grants. A building at priority A on the at-risk register is at the front of the queue for Historic England repair grants. Ask before you offer.

Condition, as the listing describes it

Roof	In dangerous condition. Tiles are still falling and the perimeter of the church is cordoned off.	Checked by us
Interior	Water from the roof has brought plaster down inside.	Checked by us
Services	Not stated.	Unknown

These are our rough estimates and not quotes. Nobody from this site has been inside the building. We measured from the listing, looked at its photographs, applied published British rates for 2025 and 2026, and raised them for scaffolding, height and heritage rules. Figures are for works only, before architect's fees of 10 to 15% and VAT. Rot, structural movement and asbestos do not show in a photograph. How we estimate.

The seller

Church Commissioners for England, with the diocese. To the Church of England. The sale runs under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. The proceeds are shared between the diocese and the Church Commissioners, and part of the Commissioners' share funds the Churches Conservation Trust.

What you may do with it

Light use. A small single room with its screen, pews and font still in place, in a hamlet. A studio, a music room or a place to stay would suit it. Whatever the use, the iron slabs outside are the reason to care about this building and they must stay where they are.

Sacred status

Worship	Closed for regular worship. The sale needs a pastoral scheme from the Church Commissioners, which goes to public consultation and lifts the legal effects of consecration.	From the listing
Closed	Shut since 2016.	Checked by us

Heritage status

Listing	Grade II, listed 11 May 1987, record 1081799.	Checked by us
Ledger slabs	The eight cast-iron slabs east of the church are listed separately at Grade II, record 1349904.	Checked by us
At risk	On the Heritage at Risk register. Condition very bad. Priority A: immediate risk of further rapid deterioration, no solution agreed.	Checked by us
Consent	Listed building consent is needed for any change that affects the character of the building, inside or outside. You apply to the council. Historic England is consulted for Grade I and II* buildings.	Checked by us

What comes with it

Building	West tower with north vestry, four-bay nave with south porch, two-bay chancel.	Checked by us
Fittings	A rood screen, a font probably of the 14th century, a 17th-century oak alms box and a 16th-century parish chest.	Checked by us
Memorials	Wall tablets to the Knight and Pryce families.	Checked by us
Land	Not stated. Ask whether the iron slabs are inside the sale.	Unknown

The dead

Churchyard	The church stands among graves, some recent.	From the listing
Iron slabs	Eight people lie under the cast-iron slabs, which were inside the church until 1864.	Checked by us

Getting there

Road	Leintwardine is 2.5 miles away. The A49 is 5 miles.	From the listing
Train	Ludlow.	From the listing

How the sale works

Covenants

The Commissioners write covenants into the sale that limit the building to the use they approved. Expect several months between an accepted offer and completion.

From the listing

People to call

Selling agent: McCartneys
Seller: Church Commissioners for England, Closed Churches team
Listed building consent: Herefordshire Council
Heritage adviser: Historic England

"From the listing" means the seller's agent says so. "Checked by us" means we confirmed it against a public record, linked where possible. "Unknown" is a question to put to the agent before you visit.