On the border of Staffordshire in a charming setting, it spreads down from the highway towards the winding Dove. A quiet lane leads to the church in a green retreat. It was on the old bridge which takes the road towards Uttoxeter that a schoolboy was told that he would be thrown into the river if he did not curse the Methodists. He did not curse them and he was not thrown in; he showed his tormentors the courage which made him famous as the great Michael Sadler, long remembered for his great work for the poor in the 19th century, and especially as a fearless agitator against child slavery in the factories.
In the peaceful garden of the fine old church is one Derbyshire's magnificent living treasures, an old yew whose fine upstanding trunk is 22 feet round. Its spreading branches shelter a patch of ground about 260 feet round, making withn the help of another yew a green tunnel from the gate. Near it are the shaft and steps of a mediaeval cross, reminding us that Doveridge was a market centre in the 13th century; they are now part of a War Memorial cross.
The lower part of the church tower is Norman work, the upper part, with its beautiful windows, is of the 13th century, with a 15th century spire. The graceful lancets of the chancel are some of the finest 13th century work in Derbyshire. The piscina is 700 years old and the font is also of this time, in spite of its youthful appearance. The nave arcades are of the 14th century. The 15th century oak roofs have fragments as old as the wall. A 17th century chest with a gabled top and three locks is nearly three feet high.
An alabaster stone in the chancel has engraved portraits of a knight and lady fading away after nearly 500 years, Radulphus Okevere and his wife; and another stone has a priest in robes, his head on a pillow held by angels.
