Guild Hall Dedication

The Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, Tong, also known as St Bartholomew's Church, is a 15th-century church in the village of Tong, Shropshire, England. It is notable for its architecture and fittings, including fan vaulting in a side chapel, rare in Shropshire, and its numerous tombs. The church was built on the site of a former parish church and was constructed as a collegiate church and chantry on the initiative of Isabel Lingen, who acquired the advowson from Shrewsbury Abbey and additional endowments through royal support. Patronage remained with the lords of the manor of Tong, who resided at nearby Tong Castle, a short distance to the south-west, and the tombs and memorials mostly represent these families, particularly the Vernons of Haddon Hall, who held the lordship for more than a century. Later patrons, mostly of landed gentry origin, added further memorials, including the Stanley Monument, which is inscribed with epitaphs sometimes attributed to William Shakespeare, though this remains a local legend rather than established fact. The church also contains a memorial to a real person, often mistakenly associated with Little Nell from Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, though the character is entirely fictitious. The building is grade I listed. Due to its many monuments inside the church and ornate architecture, it is sometimes labelled as The Westminster Abbey of The Midlands, often featuring as one of the best churches in The Midlands and in England.