Christ Church, Welshpool
This church, closed in 1998 and now a residence, was consecrated in 1844. At the time, Anglicanism in Wales was losing ground to Nonconformism, and one of the attractions of worshipping in a chapel was the heating system! The church authorities hoped that Christ Church, equipped with heating, would attract new worshippers. In the event, some people transferred from the historic St Mary’s Church but there was no significant overall increase.
Land for the new church was gifted by the Herbert family, whose Powis Castle estate bordered the churchyard. The church’s foundation stone was laid by Edward James Herbert (1818-1891), Viscount Clive, to mark his coming of age.
The church’s architect, Thomas Penson, was born in Ruabon, which was renowned for its terracotta products. Perhaps that’s why Christ Church’s interior has many terracotta features, including the font!
Christ Church was bought in 2003 by local couple Natalie Bass and Karl Meredith, who began the task of stopping its deterioration and restoring it. The rear of the building became their family home. The rest is open to the public and is a venue for concerts and other events. Follow the link below for news of the restoration project.
The family produced a “Poppy Trail” around the First World War graves and memorials in the church and churchyard. The trail leaflet, including map, is available via the link below.
See the Footnotes below for information on the war memorials in the church.
Postcode: SY21 7LN View Location Map
Christ Church website
Download the Christ Church “Poppy Trail” leaflet (pdf 224kB) – Save/download button is in top-right corner of pdf which opens in a new window when link above is clicked
To continue the Welshpool (Powys) in WW1 tour, go down Church Road and turn right at the main road. The next location is the 3-storey building between the bus stop and The Talbot |
Footnotes: War memorials in Christ Church
In 1919 a stained glass window was installed to commemorate Percy Robert Herbert, Viscount Clive. He was a Captain in the Welsh Guards when he was hit by a machine-gun bullet at the Western Front in France on 16 September. His parents, the Fourth Earl Powis and Countess Powis, had him moved to London, where he had three operations to remove the bullet. He suffered severe blood loss and blood poisoning and died, aged 23, on 13 October 1916.
His brother Mervyn served in the RAF in the Second World War and is buried in a war grave outside Christ Church.
A brass plaque in the church commemorates Edwin and Charles Morris, sons of a Welshpool draper. Edwin emigrated to Canada and served with the Canadian Infantry. He died of wounds in France in October 1916, aged 34. Charles joined the Royal Flying Corps and was lost, aged 25, during a reconnaissance mission near Arras in April 1917.
Another brass plaque commemorates Rex Manford, who was a church organist and clerk to the Powis Estate before joining the army. He was killed in France in August 1918, aged 26. There is more about him on our page about his childhood home in High Street.