Located off Crown Street is the Norman Tower of the former Abbey of St Edmund. Built between 1120 and 1148 under Abbot Anselm, the Tower is constructed of Barnack stone and consists of four stages.
The Romanesque tower features tall blank arches with colonnettes dividing the window openings.
The tower was restored by the British architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham between 1846-1847.
The interior timber roof beams
The Norman Tower is Grade I Listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Located within the grounds of the Abbey is the ruins of the Charnel Chapel by the elected 16th Abbot, John of Northwold.
Dating to the late 13th century, the Chapel is constructed of rubble flint and stone dressings and features numerous memorial tablets.
The Chapel was built to store the bones originally buried in the Great Churchyard.
The Chapel of the Charnel is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is Grade I listed
Located on Guild Street is the church of St Modwen. Occupying the site of the former Benedictine Abbey founded in 1002, the church overlooks the central market place in Burton. The former abbey was founded by the Mercian nobleman Wulfric Spot who upon his endowment, made the abbey one of the wealthiest monastic houses in the country at the time. The abbey served both the town members and monks until 1540 when the abbey was dissolved. The present church was built between 1719 and completed in 1726. The architect and builder brothers, William and Richard Smith, designed and built the church. Constructed of coursed ashlar, the building features semi circular headed windows and a west tower with balustrade and urns.
Garden of Remembrance
The churchyard is spread on adjacent land from the church which was eventually closed for new burials in 1866 when a cemetery was opened. Part of the north side of the churchyard was converted into a garden of remembrance in 1952 for locals who had died in World War II.
Many gravestones line a path leading from the north side to St Modwen. The church of St Modwen is Grade I Listed.
Walter de Langton was Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1296-1321 and was also the treasurer of England. Walter was born in c1265 in West Langton in Leicestershire. He built the Lady Chapel at Lichfield Cathedral and was responsible for many other repairs to the building. He served as treasurer to King Edward I and was the principle executor of the Last Will of the King. A marble effigy of Bishop de Langton lies in Lichfield Cathedral.
The rebuilding of the west front of Lichfield Cathedral was began shortly after 1285. The central doorway is richly decorated and features sculpted figures on the central pillar and sides of the porch. The west front remained unaltered and escaped damage during the Reformation of the 16th century. Many of the statues were damaged during the 17th century parliamentarian siege and occupation with a large number of medieval statues being removed during the mid 18th century.
The sculpted figures which remain in the porch are the work of the 19th century British sculptor Mary Grant. The statues date to the time of the Victorian restoration work of George Gilbert Scott with figures of Moses and Aaron on either side of the doorway. The central pillar has the figure of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus with the figure of St Mary Magdalene on the left.
Henry Ryder 1777-1836
Henry Ryder was the son of Lord Harrowby and studied at both Harrow and Cambridge. He became a canonry at Windsor in 1808 which he left in 1812 to accept the Deanery of Wells. He went on to become Bishop of Gloucester and of Coventry and Lichfield. The sculpture of Bishop Ryder stands in Lichfield Cathedral and is the work of the 19th century English sculptor Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey.
John Lonsdale 1788-1867
Although buried at Eccleshall, in the north choir aisle of Lichfield Cathedral is the memorial monument and effigy of Bishop John Lonsdale. John Lonsdale was Bishop of Lichfield from 1843-1867. The marble effigy is the work of the 19th century Victorian sculptor and painter George Frederick Watts. The canopy, of medieval Gothic Revival design, was designed by the 19th century English architect George Gilbert Scott who was responsible for the Victorian restoration of Lichfield Cathedral. The plinth underneath the effigy features shields decorated with the Lonsdale Coat of Arms.
