It is a celebrated early work by the important church architect
G F Bodley, incorporating notable
stained glass by
William Morris and his company
Morris & Co. Bodley was given the commission by
Samuel Marling, patriarch of the mill-owning family, who lived in the adjacent Stanley Park House. The church has a distinctive 'saddleback' tower, derived from French
Gothic architecture, which was a significant influence on Bodley's early style. Construction took place in 1861–62. Local labour and contractors were used: Harrison of
King's Stanley were the main contractors; stone carvings were undertaken by Joshua Wall; woodwork by William English and ironwork by T.J. Chew. Another source of inspiration for the tower can be found in the parish church of
Marling, South Tyrol near the spa city
Meran, where Samuel Marling stayed in the 1860s. Bodley designed the
pews and choir-stalls using poppy-heads and
fleur de lys as key motifs, and the font, the inlaid
marble pulpit, communion rails and door iron work all show the attention to design that Bodley paid to all aspects of the church. Equally spectacular is the stained glass. Bodley was a friend of William Morris and at Selsley he gave Morris & Co their first commission for ecclesiastical stained glass.
Philip Webb provided the scheme for the whole church and the detail of the
Creation window at the west end.
Edward Burne-Jones,
Dante Gabriel Rossetti,
Ford Madox Brown and Campfield were all involved. The church is rated with 3 stars in
Simon Jenkins' ''England's Thousand Best Churches''. ==Organ==