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Wednesday 28 October 2015

A Unique Church

St Chad's
During our exploration of Shrewsbury, we came across a most unusual church. St Chad's, built in 1792, is the only Grade I listed circular Georgian church in England.

The church, which is very beautiful inside, has circular pews and a splendid plaster ceiling.


St Chad's ceiling

John Simpson memorial.
















Charles Darwin was baptised here on 15 November 1809.
There are several interesting monuments including a memorial to John Simpson, a master mason who worked on the Caledonian Canal, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and St Chad's.
Pews in St Chad's.











The circular design was actually a mistake because of a misunderstanding between the architect, George Steuart, and the church trustees.

The remains of the original church, Old St Chad's, can be seen near College Hill. This 13th century building suffered a catastrophic collapse in 1788, and it was decided a change of site was best. All photos © Sue Wilkes.



Old St Chad's

2 comments:

  1. I was last in Shrewsbury when I was 15 years old. I must admit I was thinking, Chester's architecture, when I saw the pictures and then realised that you showed no "Roman,"town walls and raised pavements. Blimey, my memory is good, if a little mixed up!!Ha!Ha! I was at school near Market Drayton for three years. I love Shropshire!!!

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  2. Hi Tony, good to hear from you. I can see why you thought it looked a bit Chester-ish, although Shrewsbury doesn't have the Rows. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the town.

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