Christ Church, Welshpool
| Christ Church, Welshpool | |
|---|---|
Christ Church, Welshpool
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 Location within Powys
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| Coordinates: 52°39′34″N 3°09′10″W / 52.659554°N 3.152823°W | |
| Location | Welshpool, Powys |
| Country | Wales |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 25 April 1950 |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Penson |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1839 |
| Completed | 1844 |
| Construction cost | £6,000 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Welshpool granite |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Welshpool St Mary |
| Archdeaconry | Montgomery |
| Diocese | St.Asaph |
Christ Church was commissioned by the Earl of Powis to commemorate his son, Edward James, the Viscount Clive, having come of age. It was designed by Thomas Penson and completed 1839–44. The church is characterised by its impressive Romanesque Revival architecture in volcanic Trachyte from the Earl of Powis' Standard quarry in Welshpool. The church consists of a 7-bay nave with offset west tower, aisles, apse and south porch. The west gable of the nave has a wide doorway with triple arches with chevron moulding, while the tower is supported by massive pilaster buttresses. Christ Church was most noted for its interior decoration, and in particular its early use of terracotta. The church was a Chapel of Ease of Welshpool Church and had a separate endowment. It cost £6000 to build and this was raised by public subscription as well as being supported by the Earl. The congregation of Christ Church dropped dramatically during the twentieth century and in 1998 it was closed and sold in 2002 to Karl Meredith and Natalie Bass who are in the restoring the church, partly as a house and partly for community use.
A large Anglo-Norman church by Thomas Penson, 1839–44, and just earlier than his St Agatha, Llanymynech in Shropshire. Nave, N and s aisles, apse, s porch, NW tower. Exterior very roughly detailed, with huge conical turrets and massive buttressing. Interior of a grand Romanesque kind, with columns with scalloped capitals, a clerestory, si and a flat ceiling.
Christ Church, Welshpool
Christ Church, Welshpool
In this church moulded yellow bricks and terracotta were used for the Romanesque arches of the nave and for the apsidal vaulting of the ceiling. It is likely that Penson, whose offices were at Oswestry was using the experimental terracotta that was being produced at the brickyards connected with the Oswestry Coalfield between Trefonen and Morda. Penson also used terracotta for Llanymynech church, St David’s Church Newtown and the porch at Llangedwyn
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