History of old Rangemore village

The village of Rangemore, just west of Burton, lies in lovely pastoral country, where farming and horticulture are the daily ways of life. Some of the villagers follow other occupations, but none of their activities detracts from the tranquillity of the gently undulating hills, woods and fields. It is not an old village. In the early 1800s it consisted only of a few cottages around the Tatenhill Gate into the old Needwood Forest, but its surrounding countryside is rich in history. The name Rangemore derives from Ravensmoor which was close to the track of Aleswardesley, a former salt way. There are many other links with the past but Rangemore village itself arose because Michael Thomas Bass, who resided at the then Rangemore House which later became Rangemore Hall, had need of a supporting community of employees and build cottages for them. Many past events naturally centred on the Bass family. 

It was the generosity of Michael Bass that Rangemore church was built and first licensed in 1867 and this was followed by the building of the school in 1873. His son, the first Lord Burton was a generous patron. He added to the original church building and built the Rangemore Club and Reading Room for the benefit of his estate workers. This club is now, due to kindness of his daughter the Baroness Burton, the property of its members and under the control of an appointed committee. Lord Burton also endowed the lovely playing field for the use of its villagers. It is used extensively nowadays by football, cricket and bowls clubs and by school sports days, when villagers turn up in force to join the occasion. 

Through its connections with Lord Burton, the village has been linked with many famous people. Rangemore Hall in his day was a treasure house of fine arts. Edward VII was a visitor here. The village today is still unspoilt. Except for a nucleus of cottages which house estate workers, many have passed into other hands but people have been careful in the way they have modernised property. A few modern houses, mingle with the old but, mercifully, there are no spread of new buildings.

The church clock, which was installed in memory of Lord Burton, still chimes the hours as it has done for almost a century. It is hand wound each day by a villager who has to climb many spiral stairs to the clock tower. The eastern face of the clock casts a benevolent eye on the busy activities of the present generation of school children in the adjacent school and grounds. The school is a primary school for Rangemore village and still exists today. Inhabitants number approximately 250 of whom half live in the village and the rest in houses scattered over the area. Some employed in agriculture whilst the remainder have various occupations and commute between village and town. The old village stores and post office is proud of having been the only freehold property, having been in existence before the Rangemore estate came into being.

Rangemore Hall is an impressive mansion house something that has been recognised in its Grade II listed building. Designed in a loosely Italianate style, it has an early 19th century core with the principal sections of the hall dating from the late Victorian era. The distinguished central pediment is inscribed with the date 1900. In 1909, Nellie Bass, Baroness Burton, inherited the hall and she split her time between Rangemore and two of her properties in Scotland. When it became too big for her, it was sold to Staffordshire County Council. In 1944, the hall was occupied by American GIs. In 1954, it was opened as the Needwood School for the Partially Hearing, closing in 1985.