By 1841 Ralph Sneyd had bought all the land in Keele and this enabled him to remodel the village. He embarked on a rebuilding programme that created the village much as it remains today. The Sneyd Arms, the school, Keele Farm and 5 lodges were all built during this period. The distinctive RS monogram can be seen on all these buildings.
As sole owner Ralph Sneyd was able to physically change the village, and more importantly to control it socially as well. The villagers were dependent upon the estate for housing and work, and the Sneyds owned the inn and the school and appointed the clergy, so it was a truly ‘closed’ village dominated by the estate.