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St Chad's Church

The present building replaced an earlier church, dedicated to St Chad, situated near College Hill; this was a 13th-century building which was largely destroyed when the central tower collapsed in 1788. Scottish architect George Steuart was commissioned to build a new church, and he submitted several preliminary designs. Due to a misunderstanding, Steuart went on to complete a circular plan which was not the Parish Church Council's preferred design; however, time was limited, and this was the design which was built.

 

The foundation stone was laid on St Chad's day, 2 March 1790. The church was built of white Grinshill stone. The building work was supervised by John Simpson (who later worked on several projects with Thomas Telford, including the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct). Internally, the gallery was supported by slender cast iron pillars, an early example of cast iron used for this purpose; they were made by William Hazledine, a pioneering ironmaster who had a foundry in Shrewsbury. There are memorials to Simpson and Hazledine on either side of the sanctuary arch of the church.

 

The church was opened on 19 August 1792.

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Originally taken and posted for the GWUK group.

 

Guessed by ParkArtworks

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Uploaded on June 10, 2017